Define Yourself
Come on – how would you define yourself? Take a minute and think about it … maybe even write something down. Do it before you continue reading.
Most of us would start such a definition with a description of what we do, then add something about our background. The more time we have, the more detail can be added about our personal preferences, personality traits, our hopes and dreams etc.
I’ve made a shocking discovery. Any definition of ourselves that starts with ourselves, is invalid! I did not begin me, design me, plan me! All that happened even before the creation of this world.
“4Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. … 11-12It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Eph 1:4, 11-12
The only accurate way in which to define ourselves and understand ourselves is by what God does for us and thinks of us, not by what we do or think. I discover my value in the price He paid for me. I discover my significance in His thoughts toward me.
Rom 12:3 (MSG) Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
A sense of lack can only exist when our minds are on ourselves. Worry and fear thrives when when our focus is on ourselves.
Math 6:33,34 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
My challenge is simply this – change your perspective; see things from His perspective. Don’t pay too much attention to what you believe or think of God, rather give your entire attention to what He believes and thinks concerning you!
Amen, as usual!
Christ defines us. Beholding Him, as in a mirror, we are transformed…2 Corinth 3:18
Can you explain how do you know what God “believes and thinks concerning me”?
From where is your knowledge? From someone else of from your own contact with God, your own experience with the Unknown?
God being ‘the Unknown’ I wonder how one can ‘know’ what He wants or believes? If you take that knowledge from the field of the known (with is all past experiences and learnings) how can you access the Unknown which reveals itself at each instant, always different, always new!
So how can you claim to ‘know what the unkown believes and wants’?
Isn’t that contradictory? Unless it is part of a blind belief (and not negotiable, not subject to any doubt )?
Have you ever gone deep, very , very deep into the ‘me’? Have you ever tried to understand what the ‘me’ is?
Shouldn’t we start from that before saying that we know what the Unknown wants?
At least the ‘me’ is in the field of the known and unfortunately too many people never dare to question it (or its existence) in case they would face ….a Void.
Isn’t it because people are scared to face themselves that they create all sorts of outside agencies who are going to solve their problems, to love them forever, etc….
Hi George. In 1 Cor 1 and 2, Paul explains that there are two kinds of ‘wisdom’ or knowledge. One in which God will always be the Unknown, and another in which He is revealed. In another place he writes about an understanding that surpasses knowledge.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come to this world and has given us understanding and insight to perceive and come to know better and more clearly Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true–in His Son Jesus Christ.
For a more in depth look at this type of understanding, I wrote a piece that you can find here: http://www.hearhim.net/connect/topic/2-apprehended
It’s probably also useful to look at these:
http://hearhim.net/wordpress/2006/06/04/truth-preserved-truth-revealed/
http://hearhim.net/wordpress/2006/05/21/the-scriptures-in-perspective/
Hi Andre ,
I was talking with an older brother in the Lord the other day who was saying to me that he wished he had known the Lord is his younger years and not wasted so much of his life . I reminded him that his name came up in the counsels of the Godhead and that he has always been in Christ , before time , in time and at the end of time , its called eternal life and this is how we know God , and that the Lord was not a day late when he revealed himself to him and that he was let in on what has always been . Sounds convoluted, i know, but the light and wonder of this danced in his eyes as he looked at me and said wow . When the fog clears we will all know that we have always been known , i can feel holy laughter bubble up inside me , the wonder of it is too much . Hey Ho
Wow! What liberating good news we have! That ‘holy laughter bubble’ you spoke about, is contageous … thanks.