Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  1 Corinthians 15:58 CSB Weak, useless, unworthy are the whispered accusations that echo in my mind. Well,  I am indeed those things. Guilty as charged.  And so what? For I am the Lord’s and He is mine. See, I can always seek the face of God like Peter when he first jumped off the boat to run to the Lord.  Or I can foolishly choose to look at the waves. Worried. And that would be the normal thing to do right? To fill up on anxiety. To hopelessly try to fix it.  But did He call me to be normal? No. I'm not normal. I'm empowered, I'm filled with the Holy Spirit.  See, Paul is addressing the believer who even in his weakness boldly runs to Jesus. The one who seeks the face of God. And e ven in the depths of despair and misery, I can seek the face of God. I must.  Paul says, "Be steadfast." Never mind. Done

  Remind them... to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. Titus 3:1-2 Deep, Automatic Understanding I want to have a deep, automatic understanding of who I am in Christ. What does it really mean to be a Christian? It means to obey. Him for sure. And anyone whom He says I must obey. Is that easy? No. It plainly isn't. But, the Lord molds us to do His will eagerly. The verse says to be ready. For what? To do EVERY good work. Uh... I have a lot to learn. I am not, right now, ready to do EVERY good work. Still, I am a believer. This gives me an idea of what I can be. The Lord is building me. Every day. Slander no one. I am still learning this too. Okay, I know it's ugly, but sometimes I run my mouth about other people. The Lord is building me. Every day. Showing Gentleness Avoid fighting. He is working on me. Today. Be kind. Today. Good. But now the verse really ramps it up; look at the

  > For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 Things work out, even very painful things, in His time. I am His workmanship. That means He put thought and wisdom into making me. He knew what He was doing when He made me, when He saved me, and made me new. I am now a new creation. I have heard many testimonies of people who got saved and still struggled with their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. But God kept working. Things work out, even very painful things, in His time. I am His workmanship. Part of that is that He is teaching me, patiently. Good works don't save me; He saved me so I could do them. I was created for good works. But those good works don't save me. He saved me so I could do them. I used to get a cold feeling from that verse. Who wants to go around doing good works all the time? I thought. The Adam in me rebelled against the notion. But the changed me wanted it. The

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 Things work out, even very painful things, in His time. I am His workmanship. That means He put thought and wisdom into making me. He knew what He was doing when He made me, when He saved me, and made me new. I am now a new creation. I am being made a new creation. And one day in glory, I will be fully complete. I have heard many testimonies of people who got saved and still struggled with their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. God kept working. They learned to keep coming to him over and over. And when they thought they were fully depending on Him, they realized they were still holding back something for themselves.  God demands all. I know that sounds impossible; He makes it possible.  He chisels away. Working, crafting. Wiser than Solomon. More talented than Michelangelo.  Things work out, even very painful things, in His time. I am His workmanshi