Our Identity: Defined by God
As I am sure is the case with many of you, I listened to the recent announcements about changes to our workforce with angst and concern. Many questions are still unanswered, and the uncertainty about the future leaves me feeling uneasy and anxious.
Reflecting on all that is going on, I realize the consistent struggle I have with understanding my value and my identity. Too often I have tied my sense of worth and my value to how our world defines it. How I see myself is tangled in my work, my job title, my income bracket, my performance assessment. As I sit and wait for more details on the changes coming to our organization, I am once again struggling with these same feelings.
I need to remind myself that my true value and my true identity has already been told to me. The God of the Universe saw me as so valuable, that He willingly came to Earth, took on the form of a man, and sacrificed Himself so that I could be in a relationship with Him for all eternity. In Jesus, I have been assessed as priceless. In Jesus, I have been given a title of royalty, and in Jesus, that title has been eternally secured for me. I did not have to earn the position, and there is nothing/no one that can take it away from me. It is a gift through the pure grace and love from the Father.
As we continue to learn more about the changes from the recent announcements, each one of us is likely to know someone who is directly impacted. Many of us may end up learning that we are in fact being personally impacted by the changes. There are no soothing words to say that will make any of this easier. I just pray that we all turn to Jesus for our strength and our identity, recognizing the hope, security, and value we have in Him.
It is critical that we be a family for each other; no one should feel alone at this time. We as a family need to have grace, love, and be there for each other. Let each of us reach out to our brothers and sisters for fellowship and support. Let our community be a bright light through tough trials. Know you are never alone. We are consistently praying for you and are here to help however we can. You can reach out to us at CCEM for prayer at any time. Finally, let us all reflect on what God has said about us: We are loved. We are priceless. We are secure in Him.
How does God define my identity?
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation (Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16)
I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3)
I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1)
I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col 1:14)
I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)