Fran: Who are you?

Have you ever noticed that people tend to live up to your expectations of them? I have a family member who has a reputation for being late. We talked about it one time and she told me that no matter how many times she wasn’t late, she still couldn’t change the reputation so she figured why fight it? If she was going to be harassed for being late anyway, she might as well be!

Unfortunately, I’ve known several people who were told all their lives that they were stupid, worthless and good for nothing. Guess how they turned out? Believing those lies and living up to them.

It works the other way too though. You’ve probably heard stories of how someone kept pressing toward a goal simply because someone else believed in them. They were told they were smart, funny, gifted, etc. and they believed it. They lived their lives believing it and accomplishing great things.

We hear a lot of voices in our world today telling us who we are. Unfortunately, most of what we hear isn’t true.

What is the truth? That can be answered by asking the question; “Who does God say that I am?”

God’s word says:

I am made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)

I am a child of God (John 1:12)

I am a temple–a dwelling place–of God. His Spirit and His life live in me (1 Corinthians 3:16)

I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18)

I am righteous and holy (4:24)

I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 5:16)

I am God’s workmanship–His handiwork–born anew in Christ to do good works (Ephesians 2:10)

I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)

I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3:1-2)

I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

I am God’s treasured possession (Deuteronomy 14:2)

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will–to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One he loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:3-8)

The things written above are the truth; about me, about you and about everyone who belongs to Christ. We have value in Him; far more than the world knows, far more than we comprehend.

Lord, I pray that you would help us know just how great Your love for us truly is. Please help us to remember who we are in You and live like we believe it. Please help us to also remember the value of our fellow believers and to treat them accordingly. Thank You, Lord, for all You have done for us. We wait anxiously for Your return. We love You.

Amen.