What defines you?
What is your identity?
What would you include in your own eulogy?
When you meet a stranger for the first time, what do you
talk about in the first five minutes of meeting them?
What are the things about yourself that you hope will make a
good impression with others? Much may depend on where and why, but here are a
few examples:
Career
Family
Relationships
Social networks
Awards
Wealth
Type of accommodation
Travel experiences
Vehicle
Clothing
Physical fitness and beauty
Sporting prowess
Use of technology and social media.
For some people it might be more personal characteristics.
They might want to be known for their compassion, or sense of humour or
generosity to others.
These may all be very good things to have or achieve and
they reflect the unique person that God has created each of us to be. Yet these
things come and go. Relationships crumble. Careers face setbacks. The latest
clothes and cars and phones wear out and are superseded.
Only one thing never changes. That is the love of God shown
to us through His Son Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit was given to us to guide
and inspire and protect throughout our lives. His living Word was given to us
so that we could know God- His love, His promises that never fail, His
forgiveness, His redeeming grace. We can hardly imagine the greatness of all
God is and has for us.
If we are to be defined by any one thing, let it be the
loving relationship we have with our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus and His
precious Holy Spirit. If everything else in our lives revolves around this
central core, we will indeed know His joy and peace through all circumstances.
Let everything else- career, finances, friendships etc. be the outworking of
God’s love for us. A touch of God’s Holy Spirit is what will minister to others
and draw them to Him.
"Keep
your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,
because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
“I pray
that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the
hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his
holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians
1:18,19
“But
whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I
count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count
them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having
a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” Philippians
3:7-9
