Our Identity in the King Leads to Fruitfulness in the Kingdom

From Rich Carroll:

​"Therefore, as chosen, holy and dearly beloved clothe yourselves with..."     - Colossians 3:12a

Before listing the fruit of compassion, kindness, humility..., that we are to 'clothe' ourselves with here in his letter to the Colossians, Paul first reminds his fellow believers that there is an identity that they/we are to see ourselves as.  Do you see it?  Identity proceeds what we do in our actions.  Our actions are to flow out of who we really are in this life. Who we are comes before what we do.  As we see and become sure and secure in our vertical relationship and union with Christ we then can, with proper motivation, live horizontally with others.   Police officers without a solid understanding of their identity as sworn servants of the law cannot behave like police officers should.  Our names have a power to shape our lives.

The God of this universe calls you and I, who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ:  chosen, holy and dearly loved.  To know that I am personally chosen by God Himself (Ephesians 1:4-5), that I am declared holy (Romans 12:1) and that I at this moment with all my weakness and sin am dearly beloved (Romans 8:35-39) is a truth that both secures and sets me free from the lies I often can tell myself about who I am (unimportant, stupid, a loser, a mistake, failure...).  

My prayer for us is that as believers we would more deeply grasp our true identity that comes with our union with Christ. Remember, you and I are not primarily what we do but who we are.  Let His choice of you and His love for you wash your minds everyday and become the most important thing in your life.   

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