Identity over Position
Are you comfortable with a lowly position?
Verse of the Day
“But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Today’s Devotional
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk down to me. It makes me feel like the person talking to me thinks I’m stupid. If someone over explains, or talks slowly, or uses overtly simple language, I instantly become irritated. It’s one of my less than becoming qualities.
Jesus shows no evidence of this kind of impatience or irritation. I would bet that people talked down to Him many times while He was on earth. Even more impressive was His willingness to live for years with human skin on, in a position much lower than He deserves.
How often do we follow this example and lower ourselves for the sake of others? I believe that our human instinct is to elevate ourselves in the eyes of others, whether we are conscious of it or not. But Jesus did not do that. Because He was completely secure in His identity. Maybe the reason we try to elevate ourselves is because we are not secure in the identity that God has given us through Jesus. So what is our identity?
- We are adopted sons and daughters. (Galatians 4:5)
- We are forgiven (1 John 2:12)
- We are in right standing with God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- The God of the universe is our Father (1 John 3:1)
- We are seen and heard by God (1 Peter 3:12)
(For a longer list from our Identity study, click here.)
I believe that if I really accepted these truths and lived my life from this perspective, I would not care what position I’m in relative to other humans. Lift me up or push me down. It doesn’t matter. Because Jesus tasted death for me. He literally died so that I can be saved. Notice that today’s verse says that He did this “for everyone”.
The Creator of the world took on the skin and circumstances of His created beings in order to save them. To save us. His willingness to humble Himself is a lesson for me. It makes me want to spend time and attention learning all the things God says about my identity. That way I won’t concern myself with my position relative to other humans. Because I will truly believe what God says about me. All because of what Jesus did for me.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you see the magnitude of His actions on your behalf? How can you thank Him for that?
Do you kneel before Him with the actions of your life in utter gratitude for His sacrifice? How can you display your gratitude in actions today?
How can you confirm your identity in Christ today? Which parts of your God-given identity need to be aligned with what God says about you?