Identity + Love.

"If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." -Romans 6: 5-7

I've been sitting in front of my laptop thinking about how to start this little blurb for a while. The overall thought came to me in the shower (yes, I begin the majority of my large thoughts in the shower) but I really don't know how to start it so I'm just going to state it plainly and simply at a specific level.

I don't want my wife to be attracted to me because she thinks I'm good looking, athletic, talented, smart or anything else. I want her to be attracted to me because I'm a GODLY man. In the same way, I want to be known first and foremost as a GODLY man. As it says in the passage from Romans, I've died with Christ. My old self and it's sins are gone. Along with that, my old nature and my old identity. This new identity that I have is in Christ and that's why I want to be known as a GODLY man who follows after his Saviour and Friend. My priority is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and to live on this earth like he did. Though I cannot possibly live up that high of a standard for I am man and not man and GOD, it's by his example that I live.

Because of my changed nature, I want to be known through my changed nature. I want to be known as a man of GOD who SEEKS after His heart. It's not my will that I seek anymore but it's His will. I'm not forced to hand over my will but I WILLINGLY hand over my will. Sometimes it's hard to but when I get a glimpse of the glory of GOD in His plans for me, it becomes easy to hand it over. There will be times where I have to hand it over in faith for I know that He loves me but those are the times where GOD's glory is revealed.

If you know me well, one of my favourite passages in the Bible is Psalm 23. It's a very comforting passage but I've recently learned a whole new meaning to it within this year.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul." -Psalm 23: 2,3

The part that gets to me all the time is that GOD has to MAKE us lie down sometimes in things that are good for us. We don't recognize the green pastures and so he has to MAKE us. The beauty lies in the fact that GOD loves us and has the best for us EVEN in our foolishness. We don't want to go for His will, we don't want to settle for His will and yet He still makes us lie down in those green pastures. It's only when we lie down do we seen the "green-ness" of it and the peace and calming of the waters leading to the restoration of our souls.

It's beautiful. The unconditional love of GOD is beautiful.

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Note: I totally just changed topics as I flowed from one to another. I really didn't intend to do it but I'm glad I got to share it. It's been something that I've been being reassured of for the past little while and I do hope it benefits whomever is reading this! Praying before writing this led to the moving of the Spirit.