Returning to teaching on Identity from Carolyn Ros. People pursue meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, and hope. 2 Tim 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”. That is our identity. We are His workmanship, appointed, known, formed, searched, renewed, comforted, called, measured, directed, crafty, found, understood, free, builders, righteous, planted, released, recovered, proclaimers, baptized, counted, created, ransomed, and many more (some of these descriptives are from Ps 139, 34, 103, and Isa 43). We have a God of Hope, Rom 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Next, Carolyn directed us to many passages that answer these questions: am I seen, does anyone care, am I ignored, do I have what it takes, am I valuable, am I looking forward? We find answers in John 10:10-11, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” God protects us and wants us to live abundantly. These benefits/protections are connected to obedience so who do we listen to? During this lesson a new friend wrote this note to me – “This time is about you and God. It is time for you!” Only what God says is reliably true. To summarize, these three declarations are true. We are accepted, secure, and significant to God.
