How would
you answer that question, who am I? Wife
of ___. Mother of ____. Employee of _____. Head of ____. Or does it lead you to compare yourself to
someone else, thereby thinking less of yourself because you are not ________
(you fill in the blank). Today, as I
read the introduction of I Corinthians, I was blown away, again, by the
identity we have in Christ. In only nine
verses, Paul reminds the Christ follower that he is:
·
Sanctified
in Christ (set apart and considered holy because of Christ’s work on our
behalf)
·
Saints
by calling (Yes, you read that right.
All Christ followers are called saints, but not because of our efforts
or worthiness)
·
Part
of the church around the world (can’t wait to meet them all in heaven)
·
Recipients
of God’s grace (grace upon grace!)
·
Enriched
in Him (it says He even enriches our speech!)
·
Not
lacking in any gift (gift is the same word as grace!)
·
Eagerly
waiting for the return of Christ (what a day that will be!)
·
Sustained
to the very end (such encouragement and hope that brings)
·
Guiltless
in the day of Jesus Christ (again, all and only because of Him!)
Nine truths
in nine verses that tell us who we are. In the end, no other identity - or lack of identity in my mind - really
matters. So what will my response be to
this?
