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This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am chosen! (WATCH HERE)

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Ephesians 1:15–17: 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better 

Paul begins his prayer for the Christians in Ephesus with something we might overlook. He does not first ask God to change their circumstances. He does not ask God to make their lives easier. He asks God to help them know Christ better.

Paul writes, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”

That is a beautiful prayer for every Christian.

We often think confidence comes from knowing what is going to happen. If we could see the future, understand every circumstance, and know how every problem will turn out, we think we could finally relax. But God offers something better. He does not promise that we will understand everything. He promises that we can know Him.

Think about a child walking through a crowded place while holding the hand of a parent. The child does not know where everyone is going. The child does not understand everything happening around him. He simply knows who is holding his hand. That knowledge gives him confidence.

The same is true for us. We may not understand why God allows certain things to happen. We may not know what tomorrow will bring. We may have questions about our family, our health, our work, or our future. But we know the One who holds us.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14). What a comforting thought. Jesus knows you completely, and He still loves you completely. He knows your weaknesses, your fears, your failures, and your doubts. Yet He gave His life for you.

The Holy Spirit works through God’s Word to open our eyes to this reality. Scripture continually turns our attention away from ourselves and toward Christ. As we hear His promises, our faith grows. As we see His grace, our fears begin to lose their grip. As we know Christ more deeply, we become more confident in the One who knows us perfectly.

Proverbs 3:5 reminds us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Notice that God does not tell us that understanding is unnecessary. He tells us not to make our understanding the foundation of our confidence.

You do not have to understand everything today.

You do not have to know what tomorrow holds.

You do not have to have all the answers.

You have Christ.

And you can be confident because you know Christ.

Reflect: What situation am I trying to understand instead of trusting Christ with it? How does knowing that Jesus knows and loves me change the way I face today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart to know You more deeply. When I am afraid because I do not understand what is happening, remind me that You know me, love me, and hold me in Your hands. Give me the wisdom to trust Your promises rather than my own understanding. Through Your Word, strengthen my faith and help me live with confidence in You. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am chosen! (WATCH HERE)

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Scripture: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

There is an old saying that reminds us to “dress for the job you want.” The idea is simple. The way we see ourselves often influences the way we live. A police officer puts on a uniform and remembers the responsibility that comes with it. A doctor puts on a white coat and prepares to care for patients. A bride or groom puts on wedding clothes because a new chapter of life has begun.

The apostle Paul invites Christians to think about life in a similar way, but instead of putting on a uniform, he tells us to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Notice, however, that Paul does not begin with the clothing. He begins with identity.

“You are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”

The order matters.

The world says, “Live this way so you can become someone.” The Gospel says, “God has already made you someone in Christ, so now live like the person He has declared you to be.”

That is how the Christian life always works. We do not forgive others so that God will forgive us. We forgive because we have already been forgiven. We do not love our neighbor so that God will love us. We love because God first loved us. We do not strive to become God’s children. We live as His children because, through faith in Christ, that is exactly who we are.

Imagine a young prince who has spent his childhood away from the palace. One day he learns the truth about his identity. He does not become a prince by acting like one. He acts like a prince because he already is one. His actions begin to reflect the identity that has always been his.

So it is with every believer in Christ.

You have been chosen by the Father before the foundation of the world. You have been redeemed by the Son through His precious blood. You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. That identity is not something you achieve. It is God’s gracious gift.

Now you are free to live differently.

When someone is impatient with you, remember that you are God’s chosen child and respond with gentleness. When you have an opportunity to serve someone in need, do so with joy because your worth is not diminished by giving yourself away. When you are tempted to compare yourself to others or seek their approval, remember that you already possess the approval that matters most. Your heavenly Father has declared you to be His own.

As this week comes to an end, return one more time to the mirror. Before you notice your appearance or think about everything that needs to be done, remember what God says about you.

“I am chosen.”

That is not wishful thinking. It is not positive self-talk. It is the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Live today as the person God has declared you to be in Christ.

Reflect: Which Christ-like quality from Colossians 3:12 do you most want God to grow in your life? How can remembering “I am chosen” change the way you treat others today?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me, forgiving me, and making me Your own through Jesus Christ. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that my life reflects the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience You have shown to me. Help me to live each day, not trying to earn my identity, but joyfully reflecting the identity You have already given me in Christ. In His name I pray. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am chosen! (WATCH HERE)

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“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

There is something reassuring about a guarantee. When you purchase a quality product, a guarantee gives you confidence that the manufacturer stands behind what has been promised. It says, “If something goes wrong, we will make it right.” Yet every earthly guarantee has limits. Companies go out of business. Warranties expire. Promises are forgotten.

God’s guarantee is altogether different.

Paul tells us that God has placed His Holy Spirit into our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The word he uses refers to a first installment or earnest payment that assures the rest will surely come. God is not making a promise He hopes to keep. He is declaring a future He has already secured.

Think about a child who falls asleep in the back seat during a long family trip. The child is not watching the road, reading the map, or worrying about whether the family will reach its destination. Secure in the care of a loving parent, the child simply rests. The parent knows the way. The parent is in control. The parent will bring the child safely home.

That picture captures something of the Christian life.

There are days when the road feels uncertain. We worry about our health, our family, our finances, or the future of the world around us. We may even wonder if our faith is strong enough. Yet our confidence has never rested in the strength of our grip on God. It rests in the strength of His grip on us.

In Holy Baptism, God claimed you as His own. Through His Word, the Holy Spirit continues to strengthen your faith, point you to Christ, and remind you that your sins are forgiven. Every time you hear the Gospel and receive the Lord’s Supper, the Spirit is doing exactly what He has always promised to do. He is preserving you in the true faith until the day Christ returns.

This is why Christians can face an uncertain future with remarkable peace. We know how the story ends. Christ has already won the victory. Death has been defeated. Heaven has been secured. The Holy Spirit is God’s living guarantee that what He has begun, He will most certainly complete.

Today, when anxiety whispers that the future is uncertain, answer it with God’s promise. The Father planned your salvation. The Son secured your salvation. The Holy Spirit guarantees your salvation. Your future is not hanging by a thread. It is safely held in the nail-scarred hands of your Savior, and His Spirit is the sure promise that one day you will stand with Him in glory.

Reflect: What uncertainty or fear do you need to entrust to God’s promises today? How does knowing the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee change the way you face the future?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for calling me to faith through the Gospel and for continuing to strengthen and preserve that faith each day. When I am anxious or afraid, remind me that I belong to Christ and that my eternal future is secure in Him. Help me to live with confidence, peace, and hope, knowing that You are God’s guarantee of the inheritance that awaits all who trust in Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.

 

This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am chosen! (WATCH HERE)

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“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30

Few words carry more weight than the words, “Paid in full.” Whether it is the final payment on a mortgage, a student loan, or a medical bill, there is a wonderful sense of relief when the debt is finally gone. The burden has been lifted. Nothing more is owed.

Now imagine receiving a notice in the mail that someone has paid every debt you have ever owed. You rush to the bank to make another payment, only to be told, “Your account has been completely satisfied. There is nothing left to pay.”

As wonderful as that would be financially, it is only a faint picture of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” He was not saying His strength had run out or that His life was ending. He was declaring that His saving work was complete. Every requirement of God’s holy Law had been fulfilled. Every sin had been carried. Every debt had been paid. Nothing remained unfinished.

Yet how often do we continue living as though the debt is still ours? We replay old failures in our minds. We wonder if God is still disappointed in us. We try to make up for our sins by working harder, serving more, or promising to do better next time. We know Jesus died for us, but deep down we sometimes act as though we still need to contribute something to earn God’s forgiveness.

The Gospel sets us free from that exhausting way of living.

Hebrews reminds us that Christ “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” and that “by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:12,14). Notice the certainty of those words. Jesus did not make forgiveness possible if we finish the job ourselves. He accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. God now declares us righteous because of Christ’s perfect obedience, not because of our imperfect efforts.

This is the joyful heart of the Christian faith. We do not stand before God hoping that our good works will outweigh our failures. We stand before Him clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus. His obedience has become our obedience. His payment has become our payment. His victory has become our victory.

That does not make us careless about sin. Rather, it fills our hearts with gratitude. Forgiven people want to live differently, not to earn God’s love, but because they already possess it. Freed from the impossible burden of saving ourselves, we are free to love God and serve our neighbor with joyful hearts.

When guilt from yesterday tries to follow you into today, remember the final words of your Savior from the cross. “It is finished.” There is no hidden balance still owed. There is no forgotten payment still due. Christ has paid it all, and because He has, you are fully forgiven and forever accepted by your heavenly Father.

Reflect: What past failure do you find yourself bringing back to God even though Christ has already forgiven it? How does Jesus’ declaration, “It is finished,” give you peace today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for willingly going to the cross and paying the full price for my sins. Forgive me for the times I have doubted Your finished work or tried to earn what You have already given by grace. Help me to rest in Your perfect sacrifice and to live each day in the freedom, joy, and peace of knowing that my debt has been paid in full. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am chosen! (WATCH HERE)

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“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” 2 Timothy 1:9

There is a subtle difference between two ways of living that changes everything. One person spends every day trying to earn acceptance. Another lives each day because acceptance has already been given. On the outside, they may both work hard, care for their families, serve their neighbors, and seek to honor God. But what drives them is completely different.

Many of us know what it feels like to live for acceptance. We want our boss to approve of us. We want our family to be proud of us. We want others to notice our efforts. Sometimes we even slip into thinking that God must surely love us more on the days when we pray longer, read more Scripture, or seem to have everything together. Then, when we fail, we quietly wonder if we’ve disappointed Him.

The Gospel speaks a liberating word into that way of thinking.

Paul reminds Timothy that God “saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” Before there was ever an act of obedience, there was grace. Before there was faithful living, there was forgiveness. Before there was service, there was salvation.

Imagine a child helping his father build a birdhouse. The hammer is too heavy. The nails bend. The boards don’t line up perfectly. Yet the father smiles, not because every swing of the hammer is flawless, but because the child belongs to him. The relationship is secure long before the work begins. The child isn’t trying to become a son by helping. He is helping because he already is a son.

That is how our heavenly Father looks at His children.

Because of Jesus, you are already accepted. Christ fulfilled the Law perfectly in your place. He carried your sins to the cross. He rose again to declare you righteous before God. Your standing with the Father does not rise and fall with yesterday’s successes or today’s failures. It rests entirely on Christ’s perfect obedience and His finished work.

That means your good works are no longer desperate attempts to earn God’s approval. They become joyful expressions of thanksgiving. You are free to love, to serve, and even to fail, knowing that your Father’s love is not hanging in the balance.

Today, remember this simple truth: you do not have to spend your life striving to become someone God will accept. In Christ, you already are His beloved child. Live today, not for acceptance, but from the acceptance that Jesus has already won for you.

Reflect: Where are you most tempted to try to earn acceptance instead of resting in God’s grace? How would your day look different if you remembered that you are already fully accepted in Christ?

Prayer: Gracious Father, thank You for loving me, not because of what I have done, but because of Your grace in Jesus Christ. Forgive me for the times I try to earn what You have already freely given. Help me to rest in Your love and to serve You with joy, knowing that I am already Your forgiven and dearly loved child. Through Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.