All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others

Who Am I? you ask

Who am I? you ask. One of the most important

questions you will ever ask and answer.

Listen to this podcast here: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/212a6343/who-am-i-you-a...

Has anyone ever told you he is trying to 'find himself'? Whatever does he mean? Likely that he is a little lost and in search of his best self: to begin, he must see himself as he is right now. Huh...how to do that??

This is another subject that I could lie awake and ponder, and bat around in conversation with other people too. But here's the thing - even if we have interviewed ourself, discussed with others what is at play and perhaps even given them permission to tell us what they see in us (whoa now), is that who we truly are? Hmmm.

While we might get closer to understanding ourselves, our knowledge will be incomplete.

Follow my thinking here a moment. . .

For two decades, I lived a few doors down from a talented artist named Liz who worked with various media. While I certainly love her unique jewelry, my favorite of her works is that of a sculpted woman's torso, cast in soft blues and aquas, with a skirt of many strands of translucent precious stones. I only really learned about the fine sculpted lady when I asked Liz, the artist, about her, and what she had in mind when she shaped her.

You see--

Only the Artist knows what she had in mind when sculpting that piece…

Only the painter knows the perspective from which he painted that seascape…

And only the Creator knows what he had in mind when he made each of us.

Truth.

Friend, Paul said you are a masterpiece - a beautiful work of art. Who can tell of your worth and your purpose? Only One.

So what has the Creator said of who you are and who you are meant to be?

You, my friend, were--

--Created in God’s image. Genesis 1.26-28

--Formed in your mothers’ womb. Psalm 139.13-16

--Designed with a purpose, even before you drew your breath. Ephesians 2.10

--Given free will to act upon these truths. Galatians 5.1

--Made fully free - from yourself and from your sin - in Jesus Christ. John 8.32

--Commanded to love the Lord and your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12.30-31

--Intended to have Jesus’ attitude of humility: Philippians 2.5-8

[the links to these are below, should you like to easily consider the Scriptures]

These seven things tell us who we are and what we are meant for, in our Creator's eyes. Seeing ourselves as God sees us gives us a proper view of ourselves. Only He can give us our worth; any thing other than that falls woefully short. A proper view of ourselves is a humble one as well.

We know when we encounter the greatness of humility in someone. I can still remember when I learned the Self-Emptying Theory in Philippians chapter 2 in college (mentioned above); it made a huge impact on me. This passage is about Jesus, written by Paul, and would be great to locate in your Bible and underline, starting in verse 5: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in human appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!

Have the same attitude as Jesus: humility. That is good.

Not surprising then that it was Jesus who said that the greatest commandment was 'to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, strength... and the second commandment was like it, love your neighbor as yourself.' (Mark 12.30, 31)

So then, who are you? You are a person of inestimable worth because you were created by God, loved by God, extended His grace, invited into relationship with him to live with him forever! That is what gives you your worth. \

It is good and right to have a proper view of one’s self . . . humility. Humility is not lousy self esteem or the lack of confidence. Humility is not thinking less of

yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.

Right thinking about yourself is

knowing that

you were created by God

by intention

as an individual

with a magnificent unique purpose.

Please listen to this song: Who Am I? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rT8Re1EIQc

And yet the Almighty Creator gives you the freedom to choose relationship with him or not.

Remarkable.

Christine

PastorWom