Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.  1 Corinthians 15:10 (CSB) Paul says, "I am what I am." That’s a statement of acceptance. It’s an important reminder for me too. Because I can resent what I am and who I am. I can resent my own biography, the stuff that has happened in my life. I can certainly blame people and events for my struggles.  I am what I am. But rather than be resentful of who I am, I should be grateful. And I don’t use that word “should” lightly. I don’t like it. It’s a pushy little word isn’t it! And I think it’s the right word here. See, I should be grateful for who I am. I recently visited my chiropractor. He has worked on a number my family members. And he started to list the blessings I have. And it was humbling. God was using him. And I am grateful. Here's what happened: in that doctors office, I spoke

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

As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV) He asks me to be humble, that means there IS a pathway to humility for me. In the passage, He asks me to be gentle. That means that I CAN be gentle.  Lord, please give me the grace to behave in the way you are asking. You say I can do it. I KNOW that I can't do it through a flesh-push. I can only do it by being Spirit controlled. By being filled with the Spirit. May my life as a believer be exemplified by these things. May you rule in my heart. May you give me wisdom when I feel that I have none. When I have nothing left. May I depend upon You. Lord, I ask for your grace upon today. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He asks me to be patient. That means that I can be patient. I can know that God

The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. (CSB) Psalms 19:7 https://my.bible.com/bible/1713/PSA.19.7 I need wisdom. Badly. I need His holy wisdom today, not a made up idea of what wisdom is supposed to look like. I need the wisdom that only He gives. In James He says: “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord. He’s a double minded man, unstable in all his ways. (NKJV) Here’s another one; maybe my favorite verse, my most go-to verse lately: For God has not given us a Spirit of fear but one of power, love, and sound judgement. 2 Timothy 1:7 (CSB). And the verse above from Psalm 19. And the book of Proverbs. How can I get this wi

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes. Psalms 119:67,71 Why am I in pain? Sometimes, only God knows the exact answer to that question. Sometimes, with a little patience and waiting on the Lord, I can figure it out; I can understand it enough. I’m sure there are always depths to any situation that I don’t fully comprehend. And maybe the simple answer is the best one today. This passage from Psalm 119 says, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray…” (And by the way, I’m skipping some verses in the passage today, but please read Psalm 119:65-72 if you have the time today) Those are sobering words. I went astray, so the Lord afflicted me. Or some would rather say it like this, “The Lord allowed me to be afflicted.” My heart and my behavior matter. They matter to me, to my family, my place of employment, my community, my church, and the church. When my heart and behavior are astray, it aff

  Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Psalms 105:4 (CSB) Always--that’s one of those easy-to-zoom-by words. We toss it around like so much change in our pockets.  Always. What does the Psalmist mean when he says it?  I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I think he means it. He means always: in all things, in the good times and in the bad, continually.  Seek his face. I’m not about to say I understand the fullness of what that means. I know I only get a little piece of it. I get this though… It’s relational. It’s not like sending a text or an email. It’s talking. It’s heart to heart. It’s conversational. It’s face to face. It’s wanting to be in His presence now. First the verse says, “Seek the LORD.” One Hebrew scholar defined the word seek like this… The Hebrew word is “dārash, "seek with care," that is, because you care" about someone or something, "examine, inquire" about something, then "seek," often, "seek to kno

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord . At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.  Psalm 69:13 I get mad at the Lord sometimes. And I know this is wholly unsafe. So, I hide my anger behind my back like a schoolboy who got caught taking something out of another student’s backpack. And of course, the Lord sees all. Gently, He whispers His corrections. Working on this or that in my chaotic soul, invisibly. And sometimes, He roars like a lion, scaring the mess out of me. Which turns out to be a loving thing to do. For then, I know that he sees. There’s no question. And that is a blessing. I’m not going to lie; I have a hard time with the Lord’s timing (I repent Lord). I think, why didn’t you do this or that, then? Why did you let it get so bad? Why so much pain and hurt? And I have to remind myself, “I am not God; I serve Him.” He answers at an acceptable time. His timing. Not mine. He is the one who holds th