The Review (part 2 of 2)
How alluring it is—especially for us in the world’s affluent West—to believe that our personal value can be established, enhanced, or reestablished through achievement, recognition, and accumulation. Were this not the case, disappointment in life’s arena would not sabotage our sense of significance as it does.
Our Heavenly Father intends for us to engage this essential: We live in Jesus Christ. If the first essential of life is knowing that Christ lives in us, this is the second essential.
God placed us in Christ to express the eternal vow He entered into with Jesus that we should be His and He ours forever! In Christ we are significant.
From God’s perspective—which is the only one that truly matters, by the way—He cannot conceive of why we would need anything more than identification with Christ to solidify our worth, value, importance, and confidence. In His mind, our significance is unquestionable. He seems to be patient, for the most part, to answer our inquiries about whether we matter or not. But given the basis He set to determine our worth, I imagine our questions are nonsensical to Him, but as an involved Father, He engages and answers and affirms. Often.
In God’s mind, because our place in Christ is sealed through the blood covenant between Jesus and Him, it is inconceivable that our identity could ever be compromised or jeopardized—regardless of circumstantial evidence. From His vantage point, it is irrational and inconceivable why we reach toward the world’s offerings to enhance the security and outpouring of love that is ours in Christ.
Truth number two: Being in Christ means we live securely in the abundant, extravagant supply of God that is embodied in Jesus Christ.
In these two truths, who we are, why we matter, and what we do are set in stone—literally, the Rock who is Christ (1 Cor. 10:4).
Who are we? We are people whom Christ lives through each and every day. Why do we matter? Because, our significance is rooted in Christ’s identity. What do we do? As secure people in Christ, we exemplify Christ throughout our lives, just as Jesus did: He lived in God and God did His work through Him.
And how do we represent Christ? As doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs—home makers; blue collar, white collar, unemployed; male and female, young and old, pretty, not-so pretty, possessing more—or less, in good times and bad; black, white, red, yellow skin; married, single….