"The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; but I come that you may have life and have it to the full." ~Jesus (John 10:10)
Since the day I was born, someones been trying to steal my identity; he's trying to steal yours too. Full of bold lies and lots of half truths, the Thief will use any weapon he can to attack & steal who we really are. He doesn't want us to live...at all...much less live life to the full as Jesus asserted. He wants us doubting ourselves & God. He wants us to mistrust others and doubt their sincerity. He wants malice & strife. He wants broken relationships to stay broken. He wants you to stay jealous, envious, hostile, doubting, ...whatever your pain or struggle, he wants it to keep you from seeking & finding solace in the only One able to console.
Although I know I'm secure, I've spent a lot of my days "living" as if I'm a victim of this identity theft. Believing the lies and listening to the half truths I forget who I really am. I forget that "I am not my own but belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ."*
So, if I'm not my own, did God take my identity? No, God didn't steal my identity, He's always owned it. He's been pursuing me & you since before time began. He knows everything about us. Nothing is hidden from Him...not the most selfless act or the most hideous. He's seen the entire movie of our lives. Amazingly He still loves us and still yearns for us to love Him back.
I know many of you know & believe all this. I guess this entry is more of reminder for me...
*Heidelberg Catechism Question & Answer # 1: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
That I am not my own,
but belong—body and soul,
in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.
4 comments:
Pass the tissues please.
I love how, in my maturity (use that word loosely) I am learning to appreciate the words of the HC rather than find them boring and tiring.
Awesome post, girl.
One of the things I love about this blogosphere that we are spending time in is that, if nothing else, it is a way in which we audibly (or visibly) put what is on our hearts out there for God and everyone to see. It is not like God doesn't know this is your heart - but He rejoices in your proclaiming His name.
Thanks for sharing. Like Janelle, on the one hand I say I am all for informality and putting away a bunch of old creeds and stuff, but I have a growing appreciation for things like the HC.
Flirting with Eternity is living life to the full - so is experiecing grace and peace!
Grace and Peace!
You may have written it as a reminder for you, but as it turns out, it was a reminder for me, too. Funny how God does that thing.
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