Identity Security

The apostle Paul writes, “For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). He explains that though one part of the body can’t accomplish what another part can, this doesn’t mean it is any less important. So it is with us. We are each different, and every difference represents a unique contribution we can make in serving the Lord. Whether we…

Who are you? It’s a complicated question, isn’t it? On one hand, your self-concept is rooted in your family background, your personality, the belief systems you’ve been taught, and the key people in your life. On the other hand, you may not be who you think you are. God is the author of your true identity. He knows exactly how He designed you. He knows the gifts He’s given you to fulfill the purposes He’s called you to. That’s why Paul…

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters ... Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. (Isa. 55:1– 2) You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace ... You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon. (Song of Song 4:9, 15) Beauty is what the world longs to experience from a woman. We…

Does everything happen for a reason? The short answer is “yes”; because God is sovereign, there are no random, out-of-control happenings. God’s purposes may be hidden from us, but we can be assured that every event has a reason behind it. There was a reason for the blindness of the man in John 9, although the disciples misidentified the reason (John 9:1–3). There was a reason for Joseph’s mistreatment, although his brothers’ purpose in…

If for all practical purposes we believe that this life is our best shot at happiness, if this is as good as it gets, we will live as desperate, demanding, and eventually despairing men and women. We will place on this world a burden it was never intended to bear. We will try to find a way to sneak back into the Garden and when that fails, as it always does, our heart fails as well. If truth be told, most of us live as though this life is our only hope. In his wonderful…

Most people go through their entire lives without anyone, ever, speaking honest, loving, direct words to the most damaging issues in their lives. Pause for a moment, and count the times this has been done for you. Better, pause and count the times you have offered this to someone you love. Let’s be honest—why aren’t we more honest with each other? Because it will cost us. Socrates didn’t exactly get a warm reception for telling the truth. John the…

We have a saying around here. “The Tree is Me”. Kind of a strange way to introduce the topic of brokenness and restoration, but we love the imagery. Studying the charcoal that we commissioned will reveal a host of realities that each person on the planet must cope with; from the day we’re born. As we journey through this life and the reality of the world we live in, there’s a crisis of identity that needs to be sorted out. Yet, so many of us avoid…

I don’t think we’ve admitted to ourselves just how much belief is a choice. Some mornings you wake and feel God is near; the day looks hopeful. Next morning God seems far; the day has no color to it. For years I wrote this experience off to the ins and outs of the spiritual life, clouded by the weather of my emotions. Then Jesus began to show me something. Innumerable times in the past several years, I’d be in a time of prayer, asking God’s help or…

Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends, one of only three that were invited into his innermost circle. In Gethsemane, at his hour of greatest need, Jesus again took Peter aside, poured his heart out to him; he looked to Peter for strength. Three years of this, and who knows how many other stories. Peter must have known, I have a special place in Jesus' heart. So, how do you suppose Peter felt after he denied Christ—not just once, but three times? It must…