Identity In Christ

Duane Vander Klok

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Psalm 23:5

Unfortunately, most Christians do not recognize or receive all that God has for them. This verse says that He prepares a table for you with so much that your cup overflows! What have you received from that table? You may think that the only thing He offers is a way into heaven, but there is so much more! He wants you to live a full and satisfying life with Him here on earth. Jesus’s death and resurrection did not only give you a way into heaven, it made a way to get heaven into you right now.

There is forgiveness, healing, freedom, and a personal relationship with your Creator available to you at the table – come and eat! When Christians do not recognize what is at the table for them, it is often because they do not know their identity in Christ. The world defines your identity in many ways – through success and failure, education level, family role, grades, or job. But God says you are His child. You are saved, redeemed, righteous, free, and healed. He has asked you into His family and created you for a specific purpose here on earth.

You can only walk in the identity that God gave you when you turn to Him. When you are saved into the family of God, you are made into a new creation. Your old self is gone, and you have to learn your new identity in Christ. The world, your family, or your fear and shame cannot tell you what God thinks about you – only He can. When you know who you are in Christ, you can understand your value and purpose. If you are struggling to understand your identity in Christ, start reading God’s Word and ask Him to show you what He thinks about you.