Value and Identity

The onerous duty of 'doing good' disappears once we recognise that we have no need to impress God with our success. We realise we have no need to buy God's approval. We are already loved, we are already accepted. (Bishop Desmond Tutu 'Made for Goodness')

I wonder if you have ever been the victim of identity fraud. A few months ago, my bank phoned me one evening to ask about a few transactions on my credit card statement. None of them were mine and someone had spent several thousands of pounds in a few minutes using my card details. Thankfully the bank blocked all the transactions and it was dealt with very quickly. 

It left me feeling violated and vulnerable. 

We've had our true identity stolen. We have had our sonship stolen and the enemy has turned us into slaves and orphans. Because our identity has been stolen we've lost sight of where our true value comes from. 

We do not earn our value through our deeds or our works. It is imparted to us simply because our Heavenly Father loves us as his precious sons and daughters. We belong to him and there is nothing we can do to make him love us any more than he does right now. There is also nothing we can do which will stop him loving us. He loves us with an everlasting love. 

In Luke 12 we read the story of the man who built bigger barns to store all his wealth. Jesus cautions us through this story not to rely on "the abundance of possessions". For 'abundance of possessions' we could read abundance of achievements, abundance of good works, abundance of performance, or abundance of seeking to please other people. Instead Jesus concludes, let us be rich towards God. 

Being rich towards God is, I believe, a heart of dependence on him, trusting him to provide all we need. It's investing in him rather than investing in possessions, activity or the affirmation we may seek from other people. It's knowing that our true value comes from our relationship with him where he continually affirms us simply because we're his sons and daughters. 

Martha was concerned with activity and busyness but Mary had chosen the 'better thing' of being with Jesus. God is not impressed by our activity or success. Our value and identity does not come from what we do, but from who we are. 

Today, ask him to show you who you really are and what you mean to him.