Living Lessons on IdentitySample

Thanks be to God that we do not have to keep the Law in our own strength. Jesus died to set us free from the Law and now, set us free on a daily basis as we walk the journey, He is the Law Keeper in our hearts. Each day, moment by moment, we have the choice to walk according to the flesh or to the Spirit. If we follow the flesh, (the "sark" in Greek), we will follow the lies that others have planted in our belief system; we will live in our old habits and try to get our needs met for love and acceptance through other people, through achievements, through money, through food, through popularity. 

I remember when Jesus showed me one of the ways that I got my needs met outside of Christ. My bent was towards staying busy and trying to do everything right. It was easy for me to accomplish most anything I set out to do. Two things happened that shook my foundation built on busyness and/or perfectionism. While we were living in Washington, D. C., I had a co-worker who continually criticized everything I did. I literally could not do anything right, from the clothes I wore to the way I conducted meetings. Eventually I became a depressed mess, because no matter how hard I tried, I could not measure up. God used that time in my life to show me how I was looking to others besides Him to tell me if I was accepted and okay. He wanted to work in that area of my life so that I could learn to get my acceptance and worth from Him. Getting needs met outside of Christ is exhausting because we are trying to gain acceptance by performing perfectly. We are trying to keep the Law in our own efforts, through the flesh, instead of seeing ourselves as God does.

Over the years as we learn to follow the Spirit, we will wonderfully experience our acceptance and love needs met through Jesus. We will find it easier to obey because He is living His life through us and keeping the Law in us. We will not want to lie, steal, or gossip. If we do sin, we will be bothered greatly. When we hear a “commandment” in our heart from Him, such as, “love that person there who may be difficult to love,” we will turn to Jesus and allow Him to love through us. When we feel impatient, we can say, “Thank You. You are my patience here.” When we feel anxious, we can say, “You are my peace.” (Ephesians 2:14a) For certain, we will still have trials and struggles, but we’ll know that we cannot, in and of ourselves, live the Christian life. Only Jesus can, and He wants to live His life through us, as us.

Application: 

Do you know what you may be using or doing to belong, to feel accepted, worthy or important? Is it perfectionism, food, material things, activities, what other people think? Consider these truths about Christ loving and accepting you and keeping the Law in you. You are free from performing for acceptance