Identity

It appears everyone at the amusement park gets mesmerized with those "fun house" mirrors. you know, they make you look tall and skinny, or make you look short and fat, ans still others make you all twisted and bent. You know the truth is we all too some degree or another have distorted images of ourselves. Another truth is that how we see ourselves is really important. If we see ourselves as a victim we will tend to play the role of the victimized. If we see ourselves as unlovable, changes are that others will fund us more difficult to love. But if we see ourselves as valuable then we will feel more valuable. We spend much of our lives trying to earn acceptance: acceptance from parents, classmates, friends, and even in childhood when we followed through on the, "I dare you", snarl from the other kid on the playground. On this, the issue of identity, Dr. Charles Cooley the Dean of American Sociology, wrote: "Your self worth is determined, to a large degree, by what you think the most important person in your life thinks about you." So, what determines value? Well, something is worth however much one is willing to pay for it. Another way to determine value is by who owns it. Christian, "What is your value and identity?" Christian, "Who owns you?" and "What is that someone willing to pay for you?" In the middle of a letter in the Scriptures, Peter wrote this to a people who could use some reminding of their true identity,

" But you are a CHOSEN people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people BELONING to God, that you may declare the praises of HIM who CALLED you out of darkness into His wonderful LIGHT. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Before the world began I was choosing you. (Ephesians 1:3-4) Jesus says again, You did not choose me, I chose you. (John 15:16) Jesus has earned the right to be that most important person in you life. And what is Jesus' view of you? You are acceptable, valuable, capable, and forgivable. May you see yourself, your identity, your value in the light of the one who choose you to belong to Him, who called you into His wonderful light, Jesus the merciful one. thanks to Dr. Reed Lessing for his foundational thoughts which led to this devotion.

Anger: A God Given Emotion

Everyone of us has experienced it... that low-grade boiling point of anger. What was the last thing you got angry about? Why did it make you angry? Where did your anger lead? Jesus got Angry! Some religious bigots stood silent after Jesus essentially asked them, "Is it wrong on the Sabbath to do good instead of harm or to save life instead of kill?" "And he looked around at them with Anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out , and his hand was restored." -Mark 3:5

His anger was temporary. His anger was channeled not to destruction, breaking, or harm. Jesus' Anger leads to an act of healing and restoration! In Mark 3:5 a man's hand is restored.

Jesus' mercy is for all people including you and your anger which leads to destruction of things, breaking relationships, and harming the future. The Father's Anger leads to your restoration, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they do." Luke 23:34

So is all anger wrong? What do we do with it?

Thinking through your future people often ask, "What do you Love?"

Maybe we should ask, "What makes you Angry?"

Jesus' Anger led to healing and restoration. So can ours.

Let's become aware it.

Learn how to channel it, direct it, and center it so things are made better.

Lead it to healing and restoration.

New Life

Twitter, Facebook, TV News, and Internet newspapers today all "ticked" the same message... "All 33 Chilean miners rescued after 70 days in a mine..." Millions across the world watched it unfold over the course of 22 hours via the internet. Billions in total were captivated by this rescue. Praise to God!!! What is it about this story that is so captivating? It has captivated Billions of people of all races, creeds, and economic status. Is is just simply our desire for a positive happy ending? I would suggest not. It's so captivating because it gets to the core of who we are as humans. It's so captivating because it gets to the core of what makes us "tick". 33 Chilean miners rescued! 33 miners rescued to... life. The scene of saving life. Instinctively we know the precious gift of life. We will go to extreme measures to rescue life. 33 miners came up from the depths to new life. How about the child who is hiding in their room as their alcoholic or abusive parent goes at a loved one? How about that loved one beaten, still laying there motionless? What about the person cowering, in the fetal position, weeping to the point where there are no more tears? What about the father of five who loses his job, is behind on the families rent, and tonight wondering where the food to feed them will come? What about the marginalized stuck in the worse part of town with drug laden streets and gangs, and a broken school system? What about a the child who will come out of the womb dead, aborted? What about the child and/or adult who won't hear greatest story of rescue, about being saved from the depths and given New Life in the Risen Savior Jesus Christ? Miner Mario Sepulveda said, "I have been with God and with the devil. I seized the hand of God, it was the best hand. I always new God would get us out of there." For more on this new life see... Romans 8:10-11; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:3-5