Scripture:
Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Observation:
My identity through Christ is one of sonship to God. I am no longer a slave. Though I serve, I am not merely a servant. I am a son.
Application:
Identity is so important. Whenever I walk into a room, if I am not careful, the room will shape me. If I walk into a room of people who expect me to lead, I lead. If I walk into a room of people who expect me to make them laugh, I tell jokes and try to be quick witted. If I walk into a room of people who expect em to give them energy, I bring the energy. If I walk into a room of people who expect me to listen, I listen. However, what I hear today is that I am already someone before I walk in the room. I can’t allow other’s expectation of me to shape me or my behavior. Instead, I should walk into a room knowing who I truly am. I am a child of God, made possible only through Christ. If I walk into the room knowing this, then I am not shaped by what others expect or how I do or don’t measure up to their expectations.
A few things:
-Apart from Christ, I would have a hopeless identity. Only because of Him am I a son. He made me something I was not before. I am indebted to Christ for my identity.
-A son is such an amazing role to play. A son means I have a Father. That I have been given a name because I have taken on His identity because of the adoption made possible through Christ.
-An heir. Wow. To get the chance to not only be a son, but that I get to be an heir to the Kingdom promises. The kingdom promises are mine. Not because I deserve it. Not because I earned it. But because I get to inherit that which is already my Father’s. May I rest in this, even when it seems that my present doesn’t align with the promises of the Kingdom.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving me enough to send Jesus. Thank you for adopting me. Thank you for calling me a child.