“Identification, Please!” You sit sheepishly sunken into your driver’s seat shadowed by the towering police officer waiting stoically behind his sunglasses for you to produce your driver’s license. Why does he need that, you ask? Well, he needs to know WHO YOU ARE (and, incidentally, to whom he should give the ticket).
So, what does this mean, “who you are”? What is on your “identification”? Your picture, height, weight, skin/eye/hair color, address, name, birthday, whether you are an organ donor, driver license #, etc.
All of this helps to identify you. But, somehow, do you not feel that there is more to “you” than these things? What are some other things that identify us? Clothes, money, hobbies, sports, social media, family/friends, personality, health/lack thereof, education level, job/achievements/skills, religion… The reality of all these identifiers is that they can all change, even disappear, in an instant.
Now, to be clear, I am not saying these are bad. Obviously, you need some of them. I am very glad that you are – hopefully -- wearing clothes right now! On some level, it is obvious that we identify with these things. But if and when these identifiers change or disappear, then WHO are you? What are you left with? Obviously, there is more to “who you are.”
What if we could find something about ourselves that does not change? What if our identity could be grounded in that unchanging thing? Good news! According to the Bible, you are created in the image of an unchanging God (Hebrews 13:8 & Genesis 1:27). Let the weight of that statement settle into your mind, nay your heart. We are created in God’s image! This is a very heavy statement, the explanation of which is a bit beyond this blog. Suffice it to say that since He created the universe, God has a touch of power and a dab of creativity. I have a hunch that He used some of those when He created you!
Unfortunately, we undermine His purposes with our own. The good news stands, however, that there is still time to seek His higher calling.
Illustration…Let’s pretend I catch a lion (just go with it) and heavily sedate him. Then I shave off his mane and put makeup on him, paint his claws purple and dress him in a clown outfit and top it off with a sparkling curly rainbow wig on his head. Funny huh? Now I want you to imagine standing next to this sleeping clown laughing at how ridiculous he looks. -- Suddenly his eyes dart open and all 800 pounds of this beast makes a growling attempt to stand as the effects of the sedation wear off! -- What are you gonna do? RUUUUUNNNNN! Why?
Because he is still a lion.
Many of us have been sedated by the world. We sleep and feel numb to the power that God wants for us. God wants you to be completely sold out to Him, to trust Him with all that you are and have. Why? Because He designed you to be a lion, and God knows how to train lions. But we so often choose to wallow around in a clown suit pleasing man, chasing money and captive to pride.
Let us shake off the sedation and strip ourselves of the lesser pursuits. God designed us to march forth a strong lion with a royal mane…ready to protect and serve those around you, roaring with the power of God against the defeated Evil in this world.
Imagine the inventor and designer of the Lamborghini watching people use it as a bumper car at the county fair, power untapped, potential squelched, joy and exhilaration severely diluted. Likewise, the Lord wants much more for our lives. God, our loving Father, calls to us “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being…to know the love of Christ…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
We have all rebelled against God, our creator. This broken relationship is a “violation” that can only be overlooked once the ticket has been paid. God loves us so much that He paid the ticket price for us when He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross. God tells us through His Word that when we are restored through a trusting relationship with Jesus Christ, we become:
A New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
A Child of God (John 1:12)
Chosen, Holy and Blameless before God (Ephesians 1:4)
Adopted as Sons of God (Ephesians 1:4)
Loved by God (1 Thessalonians 1:4)
God’s workmanship/masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
Forgiven and purified (1 John 1:9)
A Part of the Body of Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 12:27)
Temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Wow! Now, what does it look like to walk in this unchanging, powerful identity and purpose? There are many directives from the Bible to help us answer this and we should study His Word to learn more. But, for brevity, after dying on the cross and rising from the grave, the last thing Jesus said to his disciples before returning to heaven was this: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Are you going, making disciples, baptizing and teaching with strength, power and love in the fullness of God?
Next time you get pulled over and the police officer approaches your vehicle requesting “Identification, please,” you tell him “Yes Sir, I am a Child of the Most High God, that is my Identity!” (You will probably still get a ticket, and he may ask you to do a breathalyzer test, but it is worth a try.)