Articles
Who Defines us?
"God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'” (Gen. 1:26, NKJV).
When we are little and are growing up, we get our sense of identity from our parents, friends, teachers, coaches, and employers. Truthfully, children receive their identity from their fathers. The greatest One who gives us our identity is our Heavenly father. We draw our identity from Him. He made us with wisdom and love. No matter what anyone else says about us, we are not accidents of nature, and we are not mistakes. God made us and He has imprinted His image on us. Yes, sin has tarnished that image, but God has not given up on us. We still possess His image. He has provided a path for us to be reconciled and transformed into His image.
When we look in a mirror, what do we see? We must see a person created in God’s image. We must see someone who is a descendant of royalty. We must see a person of infinite worth. When we see ourselves in that way, we realize it is not of our own making. We see ourselves that way because of God’s grace to forgive us and glorify us. We see ourselves that way because we are being transformed into His image. This is significant. We need to be serious about who we are.
We, who were nobody, are now somebody (1 Peter 2:9-10). God makes us part of His royal family. We are chosen! We are children of God! That makes us somebody! We must not let anyone ever tell us that, as God’s children, we are nobody. That is Satan’s lie. Too many have believed him. When we have a Father who tells us the truth about who we are, why would we listen to a liar? Would we listen to a liar in any other area of our lives? No! Then why do we let a liar define who we are?
Yes, we sin. Yes, we make mistakes. Yes, sometimes we blow it! But listen, we aren’t nobody! We are somebody special. We are His special creation ordained for good works (Eph. 2:10). He has forgiven us. His grace makes us whole.
How would it affect our attitude and choices today if we saw ourselves as someone who has been skillfully crafted by Almighty God?
“If God exists and we are made in His image we can have real meaning, and we can have real knowledge through he has communicated to us” (Francis A Schaeffer).
Rickie Jenkins
