You Are Him With Skin

Have you ever noticed how people are always trying to figure out who they are? It’s not just people like Bruce Jenner trying to figure out who he is, and then landing on the name Kaitlyn. “Who am I?” is one of the most important and most asked questions in each person’s life.
 
Almost every commercial tries to help you answer that question. If you’re really country then you’ll wear Levi Jeans. If you’re really wealthy you’ll drive a Lexus. If you are a real American patriot you’ll vote for…. If you’re really sexy then you’ll wear a certain brand of perfume or cologne. If you really love your woman and want her to feel esteemed, you’ll spend thousands of dollars on a diamond ring from Jarrods.
 
Remember those “identity” quizzes that were on Facebook? They started out like, “What   Disney character are you?” and then after    answering some questions they identify you as one of the Disney characters: “Tyler is Goofy.” There were all kinds of these “identity” quizzes: What candy bar are you? What movie star are you? Which footwear matches your personality? Which word defines your life? What fast food are you? What color are you? What animal are you? (I like to think of myself as a tiger!) What Walking Dead character are you?
 
The reason why these things exist is that we all have a deep-seeded need to find out who we are. People don’t determine your identity, though; God does. Your identity has been given to you by him. In the very beginning of the   Bible’s message we read in Genesis 1:26, Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness….” The New Living Translation puts it like this: Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.” That’s a powerful statement.
 
The Bible teaches that we are to identify ourselves with Jesus, and significance comes from him. When we have a dismal view of ourselves we’re usually listening to the wrong voices about our significance, our worth, and our purpose. If someone is communicating to you anything less than your true worth as a child of God—be it a parent, spouse, ex-spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, employer…anyone—then remind yourself that God’s voice is the one that counts most.
 
Too many of us go through life without liking our answer to the question “Who am I?” Or we’re not sure who we are. But knowing who you are is a game changer in that it will give you confidence and stability if you identify yourself correctly and accurately. I like what Randy Frazee says in his book, Think, Act, Be Like Jesus: “The more we know and accept who we are in Christ, the more our behavior will begin to reflect our true identity….We will be set free to use our words for building bridges, not burning them. To use our hands to hug, not hurt. To use our feet to bring to, not take away. To use our hearts to inspire, not conspire. To raise the level of any room we are in, not bring it down. As we love God and grow deeper in our love for him, we will then, anywhere and everywhere we go, be Jesus with skin on.”
 
Isn’t that great? When you identify your life in Jesus, you are him with skin!
 
Working together to build our identity in Christ,
​
Tyler