For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 NLT
The ball flew onto the poolside behind a 3-foot-high rope. I walked dripping wet toward the rope and planted my foot to get the ball, but it slipped. For a moment, I felt suspended in mid-air. Then, I hit my head on the cement. For a few moments, I forgot where I was.
Have you ever forgotten who you are? People who have had concussions have explained memory loss from their trauma. These memory lapses can create discouragement and depression from the daily heartaches of memory loss.
One thing is for sure: God never forgets who you are. Indeed, our identity is a gift from God. Though we cannot exhaust the richness of our identity, it is wrapped in four encouraging truths that show how God thinks about us.
1. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are valuable. I love how the psalmist writes, “Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:14). God made you. He made you fearfully and wonderfully to ‘be you’ for His glory. Since God doesn’t make junk, you are His masterpiece, most valuable in the eyes of God.
2. You are new in Christ. Though we are sinners (Romans 3:10) and lost without Him, He has saved us by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). He miraculously made us and gave us a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:7). The real you passionately desires to run from wrong and run to His arms. You are new.
3. You are filled with the Spirit. Paul told the Romans that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). How encouraging. If you have given your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, who is mighty, lives within you. Impatience, irritation, anxiety, and fears are no match since He is strong and helps us with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). He is tender when you feel timid and there when you lack the sense of the presence of God. The Spirit of God prays for you (Romans 8:26). He desires to fill your life (Ephesians 5:18), and help you do beautiful things for God’s glory.
4. Your purpose is to glorify God with your life. God created you, made you forever new, and filled you with His Spirit, so you could take aim for the glory of Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 43:7) Since the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we can focus on the fame of God. God takes pleasure in working in and through you, so decide to take pleasure in making much of the fame of Jesus. (Philippians 2:12-13) It is who you are and what you are made for!
Dig Deeper
1. Do you struggle with how you view yourself? How might the above truths replace those unhealthy thoughts?
2. Where do you need to ask for God’s wisdom so you can embrace His identity for you?
