Who are you?

Who?

As a Christian, what would you label yourself,
a ‘Martha’ or a ‘Mary?’

Martha meant well, she tried hard, she worked hard, and she was a real go-getter. I'm not being critical of her, but I want you to consider Mary.
Mary….. well Mary was not as interested in getting things done, but she was more in touch with her feelings, and she was the type of person to stop & smell the flowers.

I want you to get in touch with your ‘inner Mary’ for a few moments.

Why?

Why are you here? Why did you stop & read this? Could it be you just happened to come across this & the title caught your eye? Maybe you know me & wondered what on Earth could I be rambling on about again. Or maybe you just didn’t have anything better to do. I don’t know, who am I to say?

What?

You ever think about your feet.
Look closely at them. Think about where they have been and what they have done throughout your life.
Mine have stepped across parts of China, 17 different states, Las Vegas, Yellowstone Park, and countless other places. They’ve pedaled different bicycles GOD gave me over a multitude of mountains across the southeast. And I know like your feet, mine have stood for hours, they’ve ran as fast and as long as my legs could take them. They’ve jumped for joy and they’ve treaded with trepidation. And yes they’ve stumbled. But no matter the different things our feet have done, the one thing they all have in common is they have brought each of us to this blog, right here, right now at this moment. That…my friend…. is no accident. No coincidence. It’s GOD’s divine will…. purpose… sovereignty…. whatever you want to call it. He has brought us together. Maybe we are separated by time & space, but never the less we are joined by a shared experience.


John 6:44a (New International Version)

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws Him,


Any of you remember that Cheap Trick song ‘I Want You to Want Me’? Think of part of that song’s chorus from GOD’s point of view.

“I want you to want Me! I’d love you to love Me!”

I bet the Rick Nielsen never dreamed his song would be used like that. I try not to put GOD in a box. If we look closely enough, we will see that He can use anything to remind us of His sovereignty. Just reminds me that ‘all things work together for the glory of GOD’. But the fact that I’m trying to convey is this:

He wants us.

He really wants us!

Not our lip service, not our sacrifices, not even our works. The only time any of that stuff matters is when we put Him first. Commune with our Holy Father.


Where?

A lot of us are at the stage of life where we are questioning everything. We’re kind of like children that ask “Why?” or “How come?” Only our questions are not from innocence. They are laced with frustration and jadedness.

Who am I?
Why am I here?
Is this all there is?
What do You want me to do?
Why am I so confused?
Why do I feel this way? This bad?

So many questions....sometimes they can be overwhelming.

How can we become the man or woman GOD wants us to be if we don’t truly understand our identity in Christ.

He is in us and we are in Him.

Sometimes we fail to understand that before we accepted Christ as our Savior we were like unsweetened tea. But at the moment of Salvation, we became sweetened tea. You can make unsweetened tea into sweet tea by added the sugar. But you can’t make sweet tea into unsweetened tea. The sugar’s been added and it isn’t coming out. It can’t be separated. It can’t be done. They’re inexorably linked. It is a new creation. And so it with us & Christ.


I saw a video a while back about our identity in Christ. I’ve pasted the transcript here and I’ve taken the liberty of adding a few lines toward the end that seemed appropriate. As you read the words I want you to think, really think about the them & personalize them. Make them yours. They are facts from scripture.


Who are you?
What is your identity?
What voices are you listening to?
Let me explain.
Do you find yourself saying:
“AAAAhhhhggg! You’re such a loser!”
“You’re a fraud!”
“You don’t have what it takes!”
“You’re just too stupid!”
Or you might look in the mirror and say,
“Wow, I am such an ugly person!”
Let me ask you,
Do you think that’s the voice of the Almighty GOD that you’re hearing?
Or is it someone else?
Now I want you to listen closely to what the Word of GOD says about the core of who you are.
You’re identity.
Now the Bible says you belong to The King.
You are a child of The King.
You are a disciple of The King.
It says you may approach The King with freedom and confidence.
You have direct access to the The Throne of The King.
In fact, it says you are seated with Him in the heavenly realms.
You are made righteous by The King.
That you are loved by The King.
Do you understand that?
The sovereign King accepts you.
He has befriended you.
He has chosen you.
He has completed you.
Nothing you can think of can define His love for you.
You were adopted as His child.
It says that you are united with Him.
That you will spend eternity in His presence.
Do you realize the fullness of what that means?
You have been given everything you need for life and for godliness.
You are a citizen of His kingdom.
You are healed by Him.
You are hidden in Him.
You are defended by Him.
You are guided by Him.
You are one with His spirit.
And listen to this:
You haven’t been given the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.
Do you understand that?
Nothing can separate you from Him!
Nothing!
That’s not all!
O’, it goes on and on and on and on!

You are established!
You are anointed!
You are His workmanship!
You are sealed through Him!
You are saved by Him!
You are sanctified!
You are justified!
You have been redeemed by The King!
He has cleansed you!
He has bought you!
You can’t be forgiven of sin without Him!
You can’t be freed from condemnation outside of Him!
You are buried and baptized into His death!
You were raised with Him into new life!
His death is your death!
His life is your life!
You are made alive by The King!

He is patient with you!
He is happy for you!
He enjoys His time with you!
He laughs with you!
He cries for you!
He cries with you!
He adores you!
He rejoices in you!
He believes in you!
He bled for you!
He left the glory of heaven for you!
He conquered death for you!
He is glorified in you!
He is the beauty within you!
He is with you! Right here! Right now!

Listen:
Don’t cheat the rest of us of your contribution by living a life based on an unhealthy perspective.
You have the Spirit of GOD living inside of the one and only you!
There has never been anyone like you!
He can work in and through you in a beautiful and unique way!
Give us what He has given you!
Give it the way that only you can!
Give us what you got!
Give us the new creation that you are!
Give Him who you are!
You are a new creation in Christ!
A new creation!

How?

Now…. for a little bit of Martha. I want you to take those facts apply them to where you are, to who you are in context of personality, gifts, talents, traits, etc.
What kind of person are you?

Outgoing or Introverted?

What do you like to do?

Do like doing things or pondering on things?
Do you like to serve others?
Do you like to give?
Do you like to speak?
Do you like to comfort others?
Encourage others?
Or something else?
Or some combination of those & more?

What about your dreams?

That’s a big one.

What happened to your dreams?

Are they alive or dead?

Or are they merely sleeping?

Collecting dust in the deep recesses of your mind and heart?

Whatever your answers may be, you are that & can be so much more. Just acknowledge & pursue Him.

The Bible says

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

You might say “It’s too late!” His answer:

Joel 2:25a (King James Version)

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,


Mathew 6:33 (Amplified Bible)

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.


Phillipians 4:13 (New King James Version)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me


I pray that each one of you will take these questions, and like another Mary we know, ponder them in your heart. Try to answer them soon. We only pass through this way once. It’s a one-way trip. Don’t put this off. ‘Now’ will never come again! Take a risk! As time passes don’t come back to these questions you’ve been wrestling with for months or even years and find them unanswered or colored with regret. Maybe you don’t know what to ask or how to say it. Don’t worry; we have hope:

Romans 8:26-27

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Pursue the journey of becoming the man or woman that GOD wants you to be.

Do it now!