Who am I?

I'm one of those people who really struggles with confidence. Or rather I was!

I've never been very secure about who I am. Never really had any belief in myself or value of myself. Yet God has been telling me so much recently about himself, that the one thing I know about myself has suddenly given me self-belief.

Over the past few months I have been aware of God's awesomeness, his holiness and his love of all his creation. I know his love is so great that he sacrificed his Son for me that I can come into his presence. But that isn't the end of his love, he continues to show his love daily by the presence of his Holy Spirit within me.

Yet what does all this mean to me as a person?

It means I am a child of the living God! I have been made pure and holy in his presence (how else could I be allowed into his throne room?).

Catching a glimpse of God, of who he is, of all he has done, is changing my life. Oh, my circumstances are bad, there's lots I can stress about but as a child of the living God I can just reach out and ask for his help. I don't have to worry about anything.

This sounds so glib, but getting an understanding of who I am and where I stand in his kingdom is radically changing my outlook on life, my confidence and certainly my self-esteem.

Yesterday we heard about the citizenship of a disciple. As a citizen we have rights and also responsibilities. Sadly in the kingdom of earth people are concentrating on their rights! Few are taking any notice of their responsibilities. If we are to live in the kingdom we have a duty to stick to our responsibilities, THEN the kingdom will give us the security which is rightfully ours.

Yesterday focussed on humility as a the main duty of a citizen of heaven. As a child of the living God I have authority on earth to do God's will, but I am also a person under the authority of God. I must live my life in submission to God's will, to humbly go about my life doing God's will, seeking only his glory in everything I do.

Today is the start of a new term. Two days without the pupils to prepare for the work ahead. My desire for today is to do God's will. That in everything I do, people catch a glimpse of God. I want people to see Jesus in all I do. The whinging, the moaning, "it's not fair", attitude is not part of God's kingdom. Instead a willingness to do what God wants me to do humbly means that I joyfully get on with the tasks set before me. Reaching out to God for strength and wisdom in all aspects of my life, constantly keeping an attitude of praise to God and humbly submitting my life to him is the key to living in God's kingdom.

Knowing who I am in God means dutifully carrying out my responsibilities that I may access the rights of a citizen of his kingdom.

Good citizenship - rights and responsibilities!