Today is Saturday, June 9, 2018. Hi, my name is Adam Burton, and you are listening to The Daily Devo, a short devotional designed to help you apply God's Word to your life. The content comes from the Gospel Project. Take a few moments and read Acts 24, verses 22, verses 25, verses 1-12, and chapter 26, verses 24-32.
Identity. Who you truly are matters. But have you ever noticed how often we reduce our identities to what we do? Hi, I'm Rachel, and I'm a competitive swimmer, or this is my friend Jerry.
He's the valedictorian of our class. Our identities and energies also tend to revolve around what we own or what we like to own, like a new car or the latest video game. If you asked your best friend to identify you, what would he or she say? Is there anything he or she would miss or share that you wish when unsaid?
When the plot that killed Paul was uncovered, the soldiers snuck him out of Jerusalem to Caesarea at night under guard. Paul was safe, but he was still a prisoner and would soon stand trial for three before three rulers. In his defense, Paul revealed how our identities, as Christians, have nothing to do with whether we make straight A's, how many followers on Instagram we have, or whether we are able to get an athletic scholarship to college. As Christ followers, we are not defined by the mistakes of our past, or the skeletons in our closets.
Our identity is found in Jesus Christ alone. Christianity is costly business. It can cause us our reputations, social status, friendships, comfort, safety, and even our lives. That's what Paul discovered, and that's what each of us discovered as well.
Christ doesn't want part of us. He wants all of us. And as with Paul, only when we surrender ourselves to Christ will we begin to find our true identity. Then we will worry less about preserving our lives more about sharing life and life with others through the gospel.
If you are in need of prayer, please get in touch with me. I would love to pray for you. You can connect with me on social media or shoot me an email at atomburton.net. Oh, thank you.
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