I’ve often said the most destructive force on earth is a man who doesn’t know who he is. When you don’t know where you came from, it’s easy to lose your grip on your purpose. And when you don’t know where you’re going, you can more easily lose your grip on hope.
For followers of Jesus, we get to have a firm grip on both realities – how and why we got here as well as what it is that we’re working toward. The Apostle Paul said, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (Ephesians 1:4 NIV)
Whether you’ve become aware of it or not, God designed you for his own purposes. Before you were born, he knew all about you and desired that you come to know him so that your life could reflect his goodness and grace to the rest of the world.
Why is this all so important? Because we are easily tempted to determine our identity from other sources, such as:
Why is this all so important? Because we are easily tempted to determine our identity from other sources, such as:
- Our possessions – am I a “have” or a “have not”?
- Our past – am I destined to repeat all the mistakes of my ancestors?
- Our popularity – do other people know, like, and respect me?
- Our profession – am I simply the label I wear on my LinkedIn profile?
But your real identity is rooted in the purposes for which God created you. And Paul said that God’s purpose includes making you holy and blameless. In other words, while you will not reach a point of perfection in this present life, you will definitely make progress toward it.
You can grow up into the holy purposes for which you were created, and you can rest assured that God will finish the work he has begun in you!
