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It is often said that comparison is the enemy of contentment—and this is true. If we are not content with what we have, we will not be content with what we gain, especially when it comes to the security of our identity.
One mark of a disciple of Christ is recognizing our position in Him—developing a growing grasp of our true identity in the heavenly places.
Having our identity in Jesus Christ gives us true security. Every other relationship will fail us, especially if we seek security based on what others think of us. That leads to a deficiency mindset rather than a sufficiency mindset—not only will others let us down, but we will let them down as well.
We need to approach our relationships out of the overflow of “Christ in [us], the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27b).
Now, that does not mean we ignore the importance of relationships, especially relationships with other Christians. After all, Christ does mediate His ministry to us through the body of Christ. We stand in need of community, which can intercede for us and encourage us. But this community is merely the means by which God chooses to provide for us. He is the source of provision, the foundation for our identity.
We need to be defined by the truths of the Word instead of the world. Allowing ourselves to be defined by the world, after all, can lead to the falsities of performance-based acceptance. But God does not accept us based on our works—He accepts us because of Christ.
Christ’s death and resurrection paved the way for us to move from alienation to intimacy with God. This is true regardless of how we feel at a given moment. But we need to remind ourselves of our true identity, finding our security and satisfaction in God as citizens of heaven.
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Looking for more resources on developing a growing grasp of your position in Christ ? Chapter 2 of Ken’s revised Conformed to His Image on relational spirituality can help.
Watch Ken’s previous Friday morning study videos here.
These are the last recorded statements of Jesus Christ before His death on the cross. Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and
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In the article below, Dr. Boa synthesizes material from several teaching sessions from his series Biblical Principles for Marriage and from portions of his spiritual formation text Conformed to His Image (primarily from chapter 18, “Holistic Spirituality”). Dr. Boa focuses on agape love as one of the five forms of loves (based on the different Greek words). After reviewing all forms, he gives reasons for why agape is the greatest.
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