My New Identity in Christ
One of the most impactful life lessons has been regarding my new identity in Christ. I had been a Christian for 50 years before I felt I was just beginning to consciously be aware and live as the Jesus-in-me person that God says I am. (Some GOOD NEWS for you – it doesn’t have to take that long.)
I heard a message in 2003 where the speaker said, “On my worst day, I’m Jesus Christ in (his name).” based on 2 Cor. 5:21. That stuck with me and gave me a lot of hope, but I didn’t start to really embrace that truth until another speaker challenged me on my view of God in 2007. It was then that I realized I viewed God as Inspecting – Disappointed – and Distant. For example, when I prayed “I love you, God.”, I envisioned God looking at me with folded arms and saying, “I hear you, Lauris, but I’d like to see a little more demonstration of that.” And I would even put a verse to it, 1 John 3:18. Quite mistaken! Our God is the father of Luke 15:20-23: who is constantly looking down the road for his wandering son, waiting with a ring and a robe to welcome him home with a big party.
What’s changed? I was able to start putting those two truths together and embrace the truth that when I say, “I love you, God!”, He hears Jesus-in-me speaking. Can you even imagine what that does to the Father’s heart to hear His Son Jesus – who never sinned, who only did the will of the Father, who only spoke the words the Father gave Him to speak – say “Abba, I love You!”?!! Even the many times I’m so thrilled to hear my kids say, “Daddy, I love you!” or now my GRANDchildren say, “I love you, Papa!” can’t come close to what my Father God is feeling. He really does delight in the new me. (By the way, the old me that sees God as Inspecting-Disappointed-Distant was crucified with Christ and no longer lives. Gal. 2:20)
Yes, it is by faith that I live! And I pray every day that I will increasingly experience living out my new identity, the Jesus-in-Lauris identity.
TRANSFORMATIONAL, this changes everything. I see from a new perspective: Eg. I read the familiar Psalm 23 and immediately see it with the eyes of a God-sheep, a Jesus-lamb. I am His and He is mine. All the things He says there are true for me.
P.S. to this truth: unfortunately, when I view God as inspecting-disappointed-distant, that is the way I tend to be towards those around me. So to those of you who have experienced me in this way, “I am so sorry. Will you forgive me?”