Identity

For those that aren't aware, Josh and I are starting a college group this week at our church. As we've been preparing for this and spending time with college students, I started thinking a lot about our identity in Christ. It's one thing for me to say I am a Christian and another entirely for me to know what I believe and to know who I am in Christ. I know this has definitely been a struggle for me at times. I know that God loves me and that I am His child, but I don't think I truly allow that to sink in most of the time. I love what 1 John 3:1 says about this:
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (NIV)
I don't know if the exclamation points were added after the original writing to add emphasis, but I love that they are there! I think we all should be more excited about the fact that we are God's children! He doesn't have to love us the way He does, but he chose/chooses to do so, and I am so thankful for that! I also love the fact that we have been promised so many things through Christ. I love what 2 Peter 1:1b-11 says about it:
"To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (NIV)
That is exactly what I want for my life! I want to be able to escape the corruption of the world and to be able to have goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love be a part of my everyday life. I don't want to be ineffective or unproductive. I want to do all that God has for me to do! I never want to forget that I have been cleansed from my past sins and mistakes. I want to be able to receive a rich welcome into heaven! I also never want to forget what it says in Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (NIV)
I long to live my life each day with the knowledge that Christ lives in me. It is no longer about what I want or what I think is best for me; it needs to be about what Christ wants and has for me! It is my prayer that this will be true in my life, as well as in the lives of all of you who read this. Let's live this week remembering that we are children of God, longing for more knowledge, goodness, self-control...and living the way He wants us to live!