1 Timothy 1:1-2
Jesus alone is our identity. Our work does not define who we are. Our children, our loved ones and our decisions do not define who we are. It is Jesus who created us. It is Jesus who adopted us from the father of lies and rescued us from the wrath of God.
If a biological child finds their identity from their parents and if an adopted child finds new and redeeming identity in his or her adoptive parents, how much more should we, as believers, find our identity in Jesus, our creator and our savior. Take joy today in your new identity in Christ. Find peace, as Paul did, in the fact that he is no longer an enemy of God, but a servant of God… an heir to the throne of grace, placed by God is a specific circumstance to minister to those around him.
Jesus alone has created us. Jesus alone has redeemed us from our sin. Jesus alone defines who we are. It is he who has placed us where we are. You are where you are today as a minister of his kingdom. It is to him alone that you are accountable at the end of the day. It is Jesus alone that you should seek to please today. Not your parents, not you spouse, not your boss. Jesus only.
By his great mercy, he has not placed us in ministry alone. He has not saved us from the wrath of God only to throw us to the wrath of man. He has placed us within a community of believers. He has given us men and women, friends and family to encourage us and to keep us accountable. He has placed people around us that need encouragement. No christian is an island. We pursue holiness together, we experience God together and we endure trials together.
God, in his great mercy, has chosen to redeem you from the wrath of God. He has placed you in a specific ministry to those around you. You must now, in good effort and much grace, pass on the truth of the peace of God to the people God has placed around you. Do not overlook this great privilege and opportunity today. Seek out those you may encourage. Seek them out. Seriously, look for opportunities. Rest easy in the gracious encouragement of others.