Love Has a Name

In today’s world there is so very much discussion about our identity. Who am I? Who are you? Each day society calls us to live our truth and follow our heart. Previously I wrote about part of this in “The Biggest Lie” that following our heart is not the best way to go about our lives.

Today I want to share about our identity in Him contrary to how society tells about it.

Jesus tells us several times that we must take up our cross and follow him and to die to ourselves “… If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life7 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 6:24-25 ESV.

But what does it mean and is it applicable today?

If you’ve previously read from my blog you know that my answer is an unequivocal “YES! ABSOLUTELY!” The Bible is applicable each and everyday and in each and every situation.

Our identity is no exception.

Here is an example. A man has a goal for his life from a young age. Be good, do good, work hard and have a family. Get a good job, provide for his family and secure a future for his wife and children. All very good things.

Then Jesus came along and essentially said, what’s more important? Your plans or mine? Your finances or trust in me? Your family or my family? Serve the world or serve me?

Jesus never said don’t make money, don’t have a family, don’t save, don’t provide… He just calls us to trust him FIRST. To surrender everything and anything to him.

The challenges we potentially face daily, loss of job, loss of money or loss of family test this identity. Are we ok to trust Jesus first? This doesn’t mean to give up and not fight for our job, money, family. However, it is a good litmus test for where our identity is taking root.

Where do we find our security when the chips are down and we need help?

Are we going to face challenges with our own strength or will we rest, pray and listen to Jesus and what he has in store for us?

This is the question. If we lose our job will we be ok to go to Jesus and ask, “ok what’s next? Do I go on unemployment insurance or do I get a job at a local coffee shop? Do I volunteer or do I move and try again? Should I continue this work or go back to school?”

Only you can ask those questions and only you can get the answers from our Father in Heaven.

Another huge issue is the practical application of our identity day by day. Everyone has their own challenges in life and some are extremely daunting to face. These can include marriage, divorce, loss of a child, sex, sexuality and the associated obstacles (especially within context of Scripture) or facing our own mortality.

When we talk about our daily cross, what does that look like? Well, I could list a million and 1 things that we could call our cross to bear, however, for each 7 billion people on this planet there is at least 1 per person. The Bible does not list them all however it does provide an answer to each one.

I will again borrow from Francis Chan and ask you this question…

“Will you sacrifice WHATEVER Jesus calls you to sacrifice for his sake?”

This could be your smart phone, this could be your television, it could be alcohol or cigarettes and it could be work, family, an intimate relationship or even money or comforts of living in the 1st World.

Could we be asked to sacrifice sex, sexuality, having children or making money? The answer is yes. We COULD be asked to sacrfice these things. When our identity becomes rooted in them we must be open to the idea and the call to sacrifice those things, no matter how uncomfortable, in order to serve Jesus Christ, the one and only true King and Saviour of the world.

When us and our “stuff” become more important than Jesus we slowly begin to slip away from intimacy with him.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 NLT. I argue that you can replace “money” with any other issue you face and the verse remains truthful. “You cannot serve God and your job.” You can serve God through your job but you cannot serve your job as God.

This is a huge topic and this 1 post will not answer or respond to the huge expanse of ideas to which the Bible speaks about regarding identity. I asked you 1 question above, but I will leave you with 1 more for reflection…

Why do you wakeup in the morning?

Take a deep breath and think.

Seriously. Just stop for a minute. Think. Take a deep breath. Continue.

If we met for coffee and I said to you, “I think you spend too much time on your phone, on social media, pursuing career promotions, chasing money, desiring or having sex (married or not, gay or straight)” will you be defensive?

Then I respecfully say to you, explore that feeling. Why defend what you don’t have a problem with? Why fight for something if you are fully and wholly a son or daughter of the Living God? If you’re not fighting for Jesus what are you fighting for?

Perhaps after reading this you have felt that bubble rise from your belly into your heart into your head. It is quickly moving toward your mouth and you just wanna scream.

What are you thinking of and how are you feeling in this very moment? Are you looking to defend something and challenge my post, or are you looking deep within yourself and deciding if you really are ready to sacrifice it all for Him.

I have mentioned “hot topics” throughout this post and I know some will want to shoot back with charges against what I am sharing. So to you I ask again, before I respond, “will you sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of Jesus Christ regardless of what it is?”

After all is said and done we must remember “he was pierced for our transgressions… and by his stripes we are healed.”