Identity Theft

Several days ago, I took the PSAT. It’s only offered once a year, and it only counts towards a scholarship when you take it as a junior in highschool. Needless to say, I was nervous. That scholarship would help so much! And it looks so good on an application to say you’re a National Merit Scholar...

That made me start thinking about who I am. How do you define yourself? Do you let test scores and competitions define who you are? It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of winning and being known for how great you can do something...that competitive spirit wants to be #1 in everything so that the world–or at least your friends–will know just how great you are. But that is not what life is about! It’s about how great God is! All those trophies, scholarships, and titles you win won’t make a bit of difference when you stand before God after you die. When God asks you why He should let you go to Heaven, are you going to list off all your accomplishments? No way! The only way we can go to Heaven is by realizing that all our "accomplishments" are nothing at all! They are, as Paul says in Philippians 3, rubbish. They are something to be thrown away. Defining ourselves by anything temporal is useless. It doesn’t matter if it’s a test score, a piano competition, or even winning Bible Bee–none of that is going to matter at all for eternity.

So where do you find identity if not in what you’ve done in this world? Our identity is in Christ. We boast only Christ’s righteousness. We don’t have any righteousness on our own; imputed righteousness is all we can brag about. Seriously, when you think about it, bragging about what we can do is pretty wimpy sounding. When you view all our mighty works compared to what the Creator and Savior of the world has done, nothing we do is great. Boasting that Christ has taken our sin upon Himself to us His righteousness is all we can say. Galatians 6:14–But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

No test score or competition really matters. All that stuff is going to fade away. "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever." (1 Peter 1:24-25) Don’t let your identity in Christ be stolen by a false identity in something else. Every other "identity" we have is fake, and when we stand before the Lord, all those false identities will be stripped away. The only identity that matters is that of Christ.

When PEOPLE are BIG.....and God is small

I've been reading this book called "When People are Big and God is Small" by Edward T. Welch. I am in the middle of it, so I still look forward to what else I'll learn through it. Thus far, though, I've learned a lot and I highly recommend it to anyone. Let me tell you why.

There is a universal problem that may be found under many different labels such as: peer pressure, codependency, and people-pleasing. Biblically, it is known as the fear of man. The fear of man elevates people to the position of God. People become our god, the ones that control us. This fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid, but means to be controlled by and to hold in awe.

Does this sound familiar to you? I know for me, I can very easily be controlled by other people. I want to be accepted, loved, applauded, and thought well of of by people. I can so very, very easily try to conform to the ways of others so that I don't look "weird" and "out of it". I can be controlled by what I think others might think of me. What man thinks of me can become my standard for all of life, the way I talk, react, think, dress, and everything. This is a very real struggle for me and, I'm sure, that to some extent, you struggle with too.

Okay, so I have this problem. So what? It won't do me any good to know that I struggle with this problem (more correctly put; sin) if I don't know how to fix it. But, that's the good news! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! So, what's the solution? Well, in "When People are Big and God is Small" Edward Welch gives seven steps to overcome the fear of man in our lives. Here they are:

1. Recognize that the fear of man is a major theme both in the Bible and in your own life.
2. Identify where you fear of man has been intensified by people in your past
3. Identify where you fear of man has been intensified by the assumptions of the world.
4. Understand and grow in the fear of the Lord. The person who fears the Lord will fear nothing else.
5. Examine where your desires have been too big. When we fear people, people are big, our desires are even bigger, and God is small.
6. Rejoice that God has covered your shame, protected you from danger, and accepted you. HE HAS FILLED YOU WITH HIS LOVE.
7. Need other people less, love other people more. Out of obedience to Christ, and as a response to His love toward you, pursue others in love.

As I've worked through these different steps, I've realized that it's when we become consumed by our fleshly desires to be loved, accepted, and applauded that we become controlled by the fear of man. What we need to do is get our eyes off of what we "need" (i.e. want (we don't really need it)) and on to our God. Focus intently on Him, His perfect attributes and loving, merciful acts to mankind. Then, out of awe for who He is, out of gratitude for what He has done, and out of obedience to His perfect law, love others. Don't be controlled by them and expect them to fulfill your "needs". Be controlled by the fear of the perfect, holy, just, loving God. Find your delight and purpose in Him.

This is MUCH easier said than done...and the truth is that we are all not perfect. We will still fail, mess up, and sin. Perfection awaits us in eternity (aren't you excited?!;)). But while on this earth, we will, at one time or another, make people bigger than God. That's the bad news. The good new is that we can be forgiven! We can confess and get back up to fear God above all else. Although we never will be perfect, we need to keep striving towards that end. Ask God to give you the desire to grow in the fear of the Lord. Ask Him to change your heart! Search the Scriptures, mediate on them, and embed the truths contained within into your life. Ask God to make your consuming passion to seek Him first. We cannot do this on our own. We need God to change our hearts as only He can do. Resolve to do nothing in your own strength, but to do all through Christ who gives us strength.

So, ask yourself, "In what ways (if any) do I make people bigger then God?" and, once you got your answer, I challenge you to start looking for ways to please and bring delight to God, our Maker, Sustainer, and Savior. Put God in His rightful spot; above all else.