Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the person who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated — it can only bring harm.  Psalms 37:7-8 Who am I in Christ? Let's start by listing the verbs in this short passage. 1. Be silent 2. Wait 3. Not agitated 4. Refrain from anger 5. Give up rage Being silent before the Lord first of all implies that I am with Him, that I recognize His presence. That means that sometimes I can simply sit with Him and not pile on with an onslaught of words. I'm silent. I'm trusting, know that He is God.  And I'm waiting. There is a peaceful stillness in it. There is trust. To wait patiently is to trust.  What if I'm a mess? I can be silent and wait even in my mess, right?  In fact, the act of getting that quiet, which I might not have done in a long, long time, the act alone can begin to bring some sanity. I don't know about yo

  Anger is dangerous and yet... Everyone gets angry. I see that anger's correct place in my life is to energize me to correct wrongs, hurts, and injustice. And Anger is dangerous. That doesn't mean that it is sin. In the hands of a godly, humble person, anger is a path to conflict resolution. My issue with anger has been that I didn't want to admit my anger, even to myself. I thought that pushing it away and not acting on it was not letting the sun go down on it. When I'm angry, I must admit it to myself. Getting cut off in traffic is not a righteous reason to be angry. Hearing the news that a friend got robbed is a righteous reason to be angry. Proper anger motivates me to righteous action. Either way, I must admit it to myself and to God. When I get cut off in traffic and get angry yet don't confess it, I create a long-term problem. I stuff it down where it surfaces later, sometimes adding heat to a situation I'm trying to handle. My anger flares for no appare

The Pain, Hurt, Anger, Worry I struggle. Some days feel like it's all about the pain, hurt, anger, worry. God is faithful. He doesn't leave me alone in the fight. He encourages me directly through His word. Directly. He reminds me that I am loved. That I am His child, chosen. He revives me. Breathes encouragement into my fragmented thoughts. I can read a verse, and it leaps out at me. Like this one above. It shows me that God is full of lovingkindness which He is ready to shower on me. Why? So that I may keep the testimonies of His mouth. That I may keep His word. (Plus, He builds that desire in me.) That I may obey Him. And when I obey, I am filled with joy. Usefulness too. He Didn't Say It Would Be Easy When I keep His word, His testimonies, my relationships are healthier, more loving. The verse also gives me a clue about how to pray. I get to ask Him to revive me. The implication is that He will do it. I get to confess my hurts, my cries, my disappointments, in fact I mu

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.   James 1:19   God loves me. He bought me with a price. I am a grateful follower of Him. I serve Him. And I can trust that the scriptures are meant for me. Today.  I have been having an issue with anger. Flashes of anger. And I'm tempted to define myself by that anger. Oh, I have difficult situations at work. Anyone would get angry, right? But He says I am a new creature. The anger has been a stronghold. But He heals. Especially when I start admitting it and confessing it to Him.  And He wants me to ask Him for help. Over and over again when necessary.  He wants me to be quick to hear. That's patience. I can be patient today.  He wants me to be slow to speak. That's calm. I can be calm today.  He wants me to be slow to anger. Peaceful. Today.  This is who I am in Him. Even if I have been struggling.  Sure sometimes