Hi how are you today? I am well and have had a great week. Work was super busy and I was grateful for my bed each night but I was so thankful to God that He sustained me. Have you had one of those weeks?
In this blog I want to again look at identity and actions and the difference between them. Oftentimes we say someone is silly instead of saying their actions are silly. There is a big difference. We judge ourselves by our intention but judge and comment on others based on their actions.
If you have given your life to Jesus, your identity now is a son or daughter of God. The only one that can remove that identity is you- by deliberately walking away from God. So now that we know we are a son or daughter of God, how should that affect us?
For me, it is knowing God is with me everywhere I go. It is knowing I walk in the authority of the name of Jesus in whatever situation I find myself in. It is knowing I am loved unconditionally by God when rejection threatens to overtake my heart. It is knowing that peace and joy are mine if I remember Whose I am.
Our identity is for us- it is not for others. Nobody can remove it from you unless you let them.
However, our actions tell others what we believe. Actions are not who I am but what I believe. As a Christian, the Bible tells me in Galatians 5: 22-23 in the Message Bible how I am supposed to act. It states:
22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
My actions determine whether others can see Jesus in me. If I act the above way, it is counter cultural to how the world acts. This means that others notice and our lives reflect Jesus.
However pretend I believing in lying and stealing. My actions will reflect this as I continually lie and steal.
Does this mean we will never make a mistake? Absolutely not. But our hearts should be soft so we ask God and others, if necessary to forgive us straight away.
Our examples on this are found in the Bible especially the Old Testament. When Judah’s kings followed God, their actions showed it and the people followed. When the king didn’t follow God, their actions showed opposite and the people did opposite.
In 2 Kings 22: 1-2 in the Message Bible, we read the story of Josiah.
22 1-2 Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He lived the way Godwanted. He kept straight on the path blazed by his ancestor David, not one step to either left or right.
He was a righteous king and what was the result.
In 2 Kings 23: 21-23 in the Message Bible, it states:
21 The king now commanded the people, “Celebrate the Passover to God, your God, exactly as directed in this Book of the Covenant.”
22-23 This commanded Passover had not been celebrated since the days that the judges judged Israel—none of the kings of Israel and Judah had celebrated it. But in the eighteenth year of the rule of King Josiah this very Passover was celebrated to God in Jerusalem.
Josiah reinstituted the Passover- a celebration of God. His walk with God and his actions lined up so that others would follow.
Manasseh however started out as an evil king. In 1 Chronicles 33: 1-2 in the NIV Bible, it states:
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
What was the result of this? We find out a few verses later in verse 9 of the same chapter.
9 But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
An evil kings actions led the people astray.
As we go through this week, remember your identity is who you are and Whose you are and affects you. However, your actions are not who you are but will ultimately affect others. Let’s grow closer to God this week so the fruit of the spirit can become more evident in our lives.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
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