by Chris Courtney

Who are you?

I mean deep, deep down… truly, who are you?

When I ask this, I’m not referring to your career.

Your accomplishments.

Your failures.

The accusations or judgements others have pinned on you.

The image of yourself you try to project to the world.

If you want an idea of who you really are, read the first verses of each of Paul’s letters in the New Testaments, from Romans to Philemon. These are all introductions, Paul’s way of telling his audience who he is.

I mean, who he really is. And who we, as followers of Jesus Christ, really are.

A Servant of Jesus

As Christ followers, we are slaves to the Lord. We are subservient to God and His will.

You see, all humanity is enslaved. Because of sin, we tend to serve our appetites and lusts. We are imprisoned in a life that pursues self. We don’t necessarily notice our chains because – let’s face it – sin can feel fun. We’re too busy chasing after our selfish desires to give a second thought to the Lord.

And slavery to sin leads to death. We were not created to live a life in self-gratification. In every heart lies a deeper longing, a knowledge that there is – there has to be – something more than fulfillment of fleshly, unholy desires.

Servanthood to Jesus is not painful slavery, but glorious liberty! In Jesus, we are set free from sin. We live in the beautiful freedom of God, slaves to His grace. Free to receive and embrace the promises of God through Jesus Christ – eternal life with the Lord, grace and mercy for today and tomorrow, peace and strength and joy to get through this life, a light for our path.

Called By God

The Lord is our Creator. He created us each uniquely, individually, with gifts and abilities within us to be used to glorify God. We are freed from sin, and bound to Jesus, so we can follow His path and His will. When we truly seek first the kingdom of God, we find great meaning for our lives. We begin to turn our eyes upward, not inward.

When we navel gaze, looking inward, we discover a life filled with fear, anxiety and worry. We discover the uncomfortable truth that being a slave to sin includes the self-indulgent belief that we can control our lives. And when things go wrong – and they will – we are left bewildered, frightened, hurt, alone.

When our sights are fixed Godward, we learn that He – and He alone -is sovereign. Over all. And living life pursuing self is a waste. It is the Lord Who gives us purpose, Who truly gives us life. Because, we discover our purpose is to pursue God first and foremost. We are called by God to live to glorify Him, to love Him and love others. In doing so, we discover deeper meaning and fulfillment than any earthly pleasure could ever come close to bringing.

An Apostle of Christ

Congratulations, ambassador!

Did you realize you are an ambassador? An ambassador is an official emissary of a sovereign nation or entity. As an ambassador, you represent the interests of your country and serve the people of your country who are visiting the foreign land in which you are stationed.

As an apostle of Christ, you are appointed (i.e.: called) by God to represent His kingdom to His people who are in the foreign land in which you are stationed. We represent the Lord when we live as Jesus lived, walk as Jesus walked, love as Jesus loved. As believers, saved and sealed through Jesus, uniquely created with gifts and abilities with which we serve others.

We live to love. We live for others. We die to self, pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

So, really… who are you???

When you live a life pursuing God, trusting Him, loving Him, seeking Him, following Him, you are “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began ³ and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which (you) have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior” (Titus 1:1-3, ESV).

Next time: Who’s Your Family? Finding Purpose in the Pursuit of your Father