Mission Minded: Your Identity: Loved by God!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from January 10, 2021
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Is Secure in Their Identity!
Second only to physical needs on Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, is the need to be loved. God has made us with a need to be loved by someone else and to find satisfaction in expressing love to others. It’s part of the reason why he created Eve for Adam on day six of creation. Humans were made to love others.
But we don’t always do that so well.
Unfortunately our sinful nature leads us to love ourselves much better than we love others. People become a means for us to use to accomplish what we desire. We can easily take physically and emotionally from others to satisfy our longings and needs.
Human love is imperfect love. It’s why we find ourselves longing to be loved…truly loved.
That’s why we need God’s love.
How others love or don’t love us can affect our perception of ourselves. When someone we care about no longer cares for us we can easily feel, “I am not loved.” Or “I am not lovable.” The lack of human love leaves our heart empty.
That’s why we need God’s love.
At our baptism, God doesn’t just say, “You are my child,” he also says, “I love you.” How? He loved you by accepting you into his family.
1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
He loved you by connecting you to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:3-4 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
He loved you by going to the cross for you:
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
The list of ways God loves you/us can go on. Take some time to make it!
Human love can come and go. The love of God is constant.
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You are loved by God…this isn’t just a reality, it’s your identity!
Apply: Situations and interactions can affect how we feel about ourselves and our identity. What difference does it make, no matter how people react to you, that you are loved by God?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the love that you have lavished on us that we should be your children and be the recipients of your love! AMEN.
Thank you for praying the following with us at Cross & Crown:
Day 4 – John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
We believe these words sum up the central message of the Gospel. We want to proclaim it clearly and with Your power. We also know that the people in our community will connect with this message in different ways. Give us wisdom to communicate it by the power of the Holy Spirit in ways that people will hear and receive. May many lives be transformed by Your love.
Mission Minded: Your Identity: Child of God!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from January 10, 2021
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Is Secure in Their Identity!
If you were not an only child, I am sure at some point you either told one of you siblings, “You’re adopted.” Or one of your siblings told you, “You’re not part of our family.”
The point they wanted to make? You really don’t belong to this family.
To be clear, these were not kind words. They usually sent your sibling or you with a tear in your eye to your parents seeking affirmation that you WERE their child.
With calm, mom gave you a hug and said, “Yes, you are our child. Don’t let _____ tell you differently.”
We all want a family to which to belong. Adopted or natural born, we all desire and appreciate a loving, nurturing relationship with a mom and dad who chose to put their name on you and make you part of their family.
Family has impact on identity…good and bad. How we see ourselves, is greatly influenced by our upbringing. Your experience may have great affirmations to your identity. Your experiences as a child perhaps have realities that challenge how you see yourself today.
No earthly family is perfect. So if we look for our identity solely in our earthly family, it will be insufficient.
So God gives us a new family and a new identity.
In our baptism, God put his name on us. He adopted us into his family of grace. Satan loves to be the ugly sibling that keeps trying to convince us that we are not children of God and don’t belong in his family. He gets us to believe lies that God won’t love us. He gets us to think that life in God’s family isn’t all that great.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. You are a child of God. Paul wanted to assure the readers of Romans of this very truth:
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
This is a foundational identity the Lord desires you embrace. It is deeper and more stable than any other identity we find in the world around us. You ARE a child of God…who is a mother, who is a father, who is a teacher, who is a student, who is a grandparent, etc.
The Almighty, powerful, perfect, Father in heaven is YOUR father!
Martin Luther put it this way with a brief commentary on the Lord’s Prayer:
With these words (“Our Father in heaven,”) God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.
Don’t let Satan convince you otherwise. By God’s love and grace…YOU are a child of God!
Apply: Begin to shift your thinking as you go about your day. Instead of your identity resting in your vocation and what you do during the day, remind yourself as you start your day, “I AM a child of God…who gets to ____________ (be a mom, go to work, be a student, etc.).” Note how it changes your outlook and perspective on your day.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the new identity you give me in my baptism. Lead me to embrace and live this gift and reality of being YOUR child each and every day!
Thank you for praying the following with us at Cross & Crown:
Day 3 – Jeremiah 33:3 “Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.”
Lord, we know You know all things. Lead and guide our process, and teach us what we do not know or do not practice well. May this ministry be Your ministry. May we simply keep in step with You, relying on your wisdom.
Mission Minded: Given a New Identity!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from January 10, 2021
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Is Secure in Their Identity!
Who am I?
The question has been asked for ages. Philosophers have debated profusely. Individuals have wrestled for years. Personally you may find yourself asking the question.
How do you answer the question, “Who am I?”
“I am a mom.” “I am a dad.” “I am an American.” “I am a Democrat.” “I am a Republican.” “I am a fire-fighter.” “I am a real estate agent.” The list goes on.
We look for identity in what we do. We look for identity in how we interact with others. We look for identity in our belief systems. However, all of these can challenge us because many, if not all of them, can change. When they do we are left asking again, “Who am I?”
Who we are can very much affect what we do. If you identify as mom…you will do mom things. If you identify as a dad…you will do dad things. If you do not identify as a real estate agent, you won’t do real estate agent things.
I’m getting a little philosophical, I know.
However, having a clear answer to this question is crucial to understanding yourself and your life’s purpose and direction. The reality is, if we find our ultimate identity in a person, occupation, or persuasion of this world, it will lead to our identity being shaken. If we find our purpose in what others think of us or think we should do, we will always be lacking.
To solve the identity question, we must go back to the one who made us and really is the one who gives us a glorious and unchanging way to look at and see ourselves.
I invite you to return to your baptism. (If you have not been baptized and this sparks curiosity, please email me at pastor@crossandcrowntx.com and let’s talk!)
In baptism, God put his name on you as you were baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This simple, short activity wasn’t just a “tradition of the church,” this was your spiritual birthday! It has as much if not more significance to your physical birthday! It was not just a “symbolic act” just like your physical birthday isn’t a “symbol” of life – it was the day you were GIVEN life! In the same way, your baptism isn’t a symbol of God putting his name on you and claiming YOU as HIS own, it was the day he DID claim you as his own. Your baptism day wasn’t a day you showed God you were his child, it was the day God showed you, you ARE his child!
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,…
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
It was the day you were given a new identity: A child of God.
Apply: Do you know your baptism day? Take time to look it up. Put it on your calendar and enjoy celebrating every year another year of being part of God’s family!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making me your child through the waters of baptism. Lead me to understand, appreciate and live this new identity every day of my life. AMEN.
Thank you for praying the following with us at Cross & Crown:
Day 2 – Ephesians 6:10-11 “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
Thank you, God, that our strength and power rests in You. We pray for protection for our leadership team, for our church and for our community, and that the enemy’s strategies will not advance. Bring unity, grace, power and renewal to the ministry you have called us to.
Mission Minded – Renew Your Mind!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from January 10, 2021
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Is Secure in Their Identity!
Have you thought recently, “This world needs Jesus”?
People dying of the pandemic…need Jesus. People breaking the law amidst political passions…need Jesus. People anxious and nervous about the future…need Jesus.
The world needs Jesus. Our country needs Jesus. Our communities need Jesus. Our family needs Jesus.
I need Jesus.
Our congregation in Georgetown, Texas is embarking on work to better focus our efforts to reach people with the saving message of the Gospel. We know God has us here for “such a time as this.” We have homes being built right next to our property with 1000 plus more to come in the next 5-10 years. We have opportunities with our online ministry to reach people for Jesus. We want to connect more people to Jesus.
I pray you do to.
No matter where you are as you read this, God has you at this time and in your place for such a time as this. You may feel discouraged as it may seem like the voice of Christians is being silenced, but remember, the Gospel has not lost its power. You may feel like your efforts don’t matter, but be assured the angels rejoice when just one soul comes to believe in Jesus.
I am inviting you all to join us in the journey to see how God wants to use each of us in a time such as this. It may seem scary…I know. It may seem overwhelming…I feel the same. But know that the mission God has us on has eternal impact in the lives of people.
Over the next weeks we are asking God to develop the heart and mindset inside each of us to carry out the work he has given to us. It’s time to let his Spirit refocus, renew, and refresh our mind. I pray he will declutter the noise of our culture, dismiss the lies of Satan we believe, and distill a mindset of truth in each of us. Paul put it this way in Romans 12:1-2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The first mindset we are asking God to instill in us is security in our identity. I invite you to sometime today listen/watch the message from Sunday (Click on link above). It will tee up our topics for the rest of the week as we answer the question, “Who Am I?”
Apply: Take time in prayer simply to ask God’s Spirit to renew your mind to align with God’s good and perfect will.
Prayer: Father, life has been and will continue to be distracting. Forgive me for allowing my mind to be transformed and aligned to the world around me. I ask that you would remove all the thoughts that are not good and pleasing to you and replace them will your “good, pleasing and perfect will.” AMEN.
Special reflection and prayers:
As our congregation goes through the planning process, I invite all our devotion readers to pray with us and for us. This “special reflection” section gives an additional Scripture and prayer to include in your daily prayer life. Thank you!
Scripture: Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Prayer: God, we seek you first and foremost to define the vision for our church. We want to align with Your heart and what matters to You. Help us hear Your voice above all noise and distraction.
Get a Move on…Confident of the Lord’s Promises!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from January 3, 2021
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: Be Still…and Get a Move On!
This past Sunday, January 3 I “preached” (since I recorded the message on December 26, 2020 as we were in Florida on January 3) on the crossing of the Red Sea by the people of Israel in Exodus 14. This “beach” story is one that has many facets to consider of God, people, and leadership.
The people saw the challenges – water in front, cliffs on the side and the army of Pharaoh pursuing them – and were convinced the slavery they came from would be better than dying at the hand of Pharaoh’s army.
Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
Moses, the leader, saw the same challenges, but trusted God would fight for his people.
Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
God saw the same challenges and said, “I will bring glory to my name.”
Exodus 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”
On midnight of January 1, 2021 one sensed a “sigh of relief” that we had “made it” out of the challenges of 2020 and we could put those things behind us…CoVid Pandemic, riots in major cities, charged political climate and more. In fact people were congratulating each other that we “made it” through 2020.
In my message last Sunday, I quipped, “I don’t know what will happen in 2021, but there may come a point that we, like the people of Israel, view the challenges of the present and wish we could go back to the familiar of 2020.” A sobering thought to think, “What would make 2021 worse that we would yearn for the days of 2020 as the ‘good ol’ days’?”
I don’t know.
But already seven days into 2021, a quote appeared on Facebook “I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021. I’ve experienced the free 7-day trial and I’m not interested.” Why? January 6 saw a dual senate race lean to the Democrats giving them control of both houses of congress. As well as the Senate met to certify the 2020 election results. However in the middle of that process, agitators broke into the Capitol and stormed the building causing all Senators and Representatives to seek shelter in secure basement rooms. Unfortunately one lady lost her life and 70 plus have since been charged. As they should be for breaking the law.
We thought we had left all this in the rear view mirror of 2020. Not so.
And we’re only 7 days in.
Here’s what I know.
People, even God’s people, even me, will naturally look at the challenges we face individually and collectively and want to run from them, avoid them, or simply despair of them. It’s human nature…especially when the situation seems out of our control and bigger than we can handle or know how to help. Perhaps 2021 is shaping up to be a year that will make 2020 look rather benign and lead us to wonder why God is allowing the events of this year to happen.
Leaders, especially God’s leaders, have a choice. Despair with the people or lead forward confident of the promises of God. This is where I pray the devotions of this week and message have been helpful to keep the challenges around us in perspective while we trust God’s promises to deliver and save us…forever in heaven.
God has only one choice. His name will be glorified.
Even the Egyptian army realized they were in trouble because the Lord was fighting against them.
Exodus 14:25 He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”
How will God’s name be glorified? May I suggest three ways I see today:
- God’s name is glorified when I trust his power and promises more than any person or politician.
- God’s name is glorified when I find greater pride and honor and passion in being a child of God and citizen of his kingdom than being a citizen of America (of which I still have a great sense of pride).
- God’s name is glorified when I see and believe the heart of our country is changed when the Spirit of God changes the hearts of people…starting with mine.
I am confident 2021 will provide many opportunities for us to be tempted to despair, for godly leaders to reminds us of God’s promises and God’s name to be glorified.
So we have only one option because we can’t go back…we must go forward! So, get a move on…confident of God’s Promises!
Apply: What promise of God will guide you and give you strength as you move forward in 2021?
Prayer: Lord, we pray for our country and all those in a position of authority. May their hearts seek your wisdom and seek to honor you in all the ways they govern. Forgive us for despairing of the situation around us and forgetting that you are fighting for us. Thank you for godly leaders and fellow Christians to remind us of your power and promises. Lead us forward and cause your name to be glorified in our lives and those around us in the year ahead! Amen.