Your Identity In Christ: Day 15 - Pastor Ryan Shook
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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him,
who have been called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
In this series, we’ve been searching the Scriptures to discover who we are in Christ. We’ve learned that as a Christian, we have a new identity in Him! We have a new life in Him. Jesus gave His life for us that He may offer His life to us. It is not only new, but also abundant and eternal! The moment we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior from sin, we are forgiven, accepted, and no longer condemned! We are set free from the hurts, habits, and hang-ups of the past to live a new quality of life. We have been given the fullness of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We become the friends of God, clothed in His righteousness and indwelled by His Spirit. We have been taken out of darkness into His marvelous light and adopted into His forever family with all the rights and privileges of the children of God! This is your inheritance in Christ! It is who you are in Him. Now, we have the daily adventure of living out this new life with Jesus as we learn to be the Christian we have become. This involves the renewing of our minds to fully realize who we are in Him.
But let’s be practical. How does this work out in our daily circumstances? Can we have confidence that God is with us even when our plans don’t work out, and our hearts are filled with disappointment? After all, this isn’t heaven, and it can be easy to become disillusioned and discouraged. This is why I love and cling to the promise in Romans 8:28 so often. It is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (NIV)
Look at the first three words in this verse – “AND WE KNOW…” He didn’t say, “We hope so…” He said, “We know!” We know what? We know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love Him….” He didn’t say that all things were good but that God is at work in all things for the good of those who love Him! What confidence that gives us in Christ! God is sovereign, and there is not a circumstance that could possibly arise under any situation that would catch Him by surprise or that He could not or would not be at work for the good of those who love Him! Praise God! That means He is at work in whatever issues or problems you are facing today! And He will be there doing the same thing tomorrow! When we take our problems to God and trust Him, He can work them out far better than we could have ever imagined!
Not only do we have the confidence that God is at work on our behalf, but also that He has called us according to His purpose! As Christ followers, you and I have been called according to God’s purpose. It’s what our souls long for! If we love God and are called according to His purpose, then we can trust God that every problem has a purpose! But what is that purpose?
I love how practical the Bible is in helping us understand God’s purpose for our lives and how He uses pain and problems to shape us for that purpose. Romans 8:29 answers the question of what God’s purpose is. The Living Bible paraphrases it like this: “For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to Him – and all along He knew who would – should become like His Son, ….”
God’s ultimate goal for our lives as Christ followers is to become like Jesus. He is preparing you and me for eternity! His purpose for you and me is to reproduce Christlike character in us so that we may reflect His image and likeness in every situation, no matter what the circumstances. Only when the Creator is restored within His creature can He make of us a new creation. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Bible says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
Because God is more concerned about our character than our comfort sometimes, He uses pain to shape us into the image of His very own Son. Jesus, Himself, suffered for us, the Just for the unjust. The truth is God is more concerned with the person you are going to be than of what you’re going to do in life. Doing flows out of being.
So, reflect for a moment on the struggles in your life and ask yourself how God may want to use them to shape you into the image of His Son. In what ways is God making you Christlike? Don’t waste your sorrows. There is purpose in your pain, and God promises to work it for your good.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.