“We are created in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27)
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) In the Greek there are three different words Christ could have chosen to define life. One of the words refers to physical life. Another refers to psychological life. The third word refers to spiritual life. Jesus chose to use the word that defines life as being spiritual. That is because He is the spiritual life we need. He is the spiritual life he wants us to experience.
As a result of the spiritual life we experience in Christ, our true identity develops. We all want an identity. We all have an identity. We all seek our identity somewhere. Our identity impacts how we view ourselves, as well as how we respond to life. It also impacts our values, our morals, and our principles.
We were created in the image of God, therefore we are deeply connected to God. To try to attach our identity to anything other than the Creator, will have adverse effects on us. It will leave us empty. It will cause us to have unrealistic expectations from a world that is unable to deliver what we really need. It will put self as the center of our life. That leads to demanding rights we really don’t have.
But there’s more we need to be aware of in seeking our identity. Attaching our identity to a person will lead us to ask things of people they are incapable of giving us. People cannot, and will never be able, to give us what only God can. Asking too much of people who can’t deliver will drive us to feel out of control. Feeling out of control is what causes us to panic because we are afraid we are going to suffer. And we do not like to suffer!
By now, I pray you are realizing that trying to receive our identity from anything or anyone in this world has a domino effect in our lives that leads to despair and discouragement. An identity that is not found in Jesus Christ will leave us with a Christless Christianity, which in turn causes us to feel empty and unfulfilled.
So here is the solution to our quest for our identity, and it is pretty simple. The better we strive to know Jesus Christ through prayer and the study of his word, the better we will know ourselves. Our identity is only secure in Jesus Christ because we were created to be like him!
Darlene
“We are created in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27)