What's My Identity?

Who Are You?

Where do you find your identity? Maybe you find it in being a husband or wife. Maybe you find it in being a mom or dad. Maybe you find it in your job or your hobbies. Maybe you even find it in your kids and what they do. We all identify ourselves in one way or another.

Jesus wants your identity. He wants you to take whatever you identify yourself as and lay it down and take up the identity of "Christ-follower". He wants your life, your job, your parenting, your hobbies and interests, your marriage, and everything about you to be wrapped up in Him. He wants you to put everything second to Him. He wants you to use everything to serve Him. 

Come and Die

The term "Christian" literally means "little Christs" and was first used in a derogatory way to mock those following Jesus. They however took the term with pride as they wanted their identity to be ones who follow the Savior. We should all desire to do justice to the name "little Christs". 

Jesus made it clear that following Him requires absolute devotion. We see the devotion of the apostles as we read Scripture. Many of them go on to give their lives for making Christ their identity. This would be the same story of many in the early church. They echoed Paul's words of "to live is Christ, to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21). These brothers and sisters who didn't count their lives as a treasure show us what it means for Christ to be our treasure.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." This is the essence of making Christ our identity. It becomes Jesus over everything. We say as Jesus said in the garden that is not my will, but the Father's that is to be done. We use our gifts, talents, and passions for Christ. We let His Spirit so permeate our being that joy in following Him eclipses everything else. 

Conclusion

We all place our identity in something. Have you placed yours in the only One who can truly satisfy you? Are you pursuing an identity that leaves you looking for more at the end of the day? Placing our identity in Christ ultimately leads us to true satisfaction and the greatest joy.  The Christian identity is an eternal identity that enables us to say, "to die is gain."

"The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." - John Piper