Asking God for Things and our Identity in Christ
Reading today's Lunch Break Study on James 1:5-8 was a hard kick in the gut that forced me to confront the confidence that I have in my identity in Christ. James tells us that if we lack wisdom to just ask God and He will give generously. But if we doubt, then we are like a wave "driven and tossed by the wind" and "unstable in all his ways". I mean, we all know the verses that tell us that if we ask we will receive. Then why do most of us, myself included, doubt that will happen?
I think it is because we are not confident that we are sons and daughters of the Most High. But we are! John tells us that "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13). YOU ARE GOD'S CHILD. I AM GOD'S CHILD.
Even when the Israelites turned their backs from God time and time again He rescued them when they cried out to Him. The Israelites sinned again when they asked for a king, so God sent thunder and rain. When the people asked for mercy Samuel told them not to be afraid "For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own." (1 Samuel 12:22).
My prayer for all of us is that we actually believe that God delights in us - that we make God happy - that He desires to have us stay in His Presence and to Experience His Glory! Something that P.Joe talked about in his seminar today really stuck in my mind: he said that you have to keep practicing truth for it to stick. We can't just believe this truth, but we have to walk it out. Let's truly take hold of our identity in Christ!
Reading today's Lunch Break Study on James 1:5-8 was a hard kick in the gut that forced me to confront the confidence that I have in my identity in Christ. James tells us that if we lack wisdom to just ask God and He will give generously. But if we doubt, then we are like a wave "driven and tossed by the wind" and "unstable in all his ways". I mean, we all know the verses that tell us that if we ask we will receive. Then why do most of us, myself included, doubt that will happen?
I think it is because we are not confident that we are sons and daughters of the Most High. But we are! John tells us that "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13). YOU ARE GOD'S CHILD. I AM GOD'S CHILD.
Even when the Israelites turned their backs from God time and time again He rescued them when they cried out to Him. The Israelites sinned again when they asked for a king, so God sent thunder and rain. When the people asked for mercy Samuel told them not to be afraid "For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own." (1 Samuel 12:22).
My prayer for all of us is that we actually believe that God delights in us - that we make God happy - that He desires to have us stay in His Presence and to Experience His Glory! Something that P.Joe talked about in his seminar today really stuck in my mind: he said that you have to keep practicing truth for it to stick. We can't just believe this truth, but we have to walk it out. Let's truly take hold of our identity in Christ!
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