Who You Are

Your identity is comprised of what you do and to whom you are related. In eighth century villages, everyone knew who your parents were, so you didn’t really need a last name. I think there are probably a few hundred Douglas Thomases, so even last names are not sufficient to identify uniqueness today. Where you were born fits into the who are you related to category. “Where is your village?” is a “Who are you?” question.

What you do includes purpose and value implications for your identity. “Why do I need to know you?” is a question related to that. “What good are you?”

Your purpose has been written in you and laid out ahead of you by the One most important relationship you can be identified by. He has called you out of darkness and translated you into the Kingdom of His marvelous light. Even on the days when you may feel unimportant and ineffective and wasted, the fact that Yahweh, Who breathed the stars and named them loves you and desires your fellowship continues to be the most important part of your identity. The work He has called you into is extra.

The fulfilment of your purpose, built into your identity, will be best accomplished by being yourself, as defined by Holy Spirit. Be freshly filled with Him and therefore be astonishingly successful at being and doing everything Jesus sent Him to help you into.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13 HCSB ©®)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:14-19 HCSB ©®)