Zondervan Blog

---

A Clear Picture of You Posted: 17 Sep 2012 11:34 AM PDT Q: Who has the most accurate opinion of your worth? A. You B. Strangers C. The people who know you best D. God’s Word You’ll find an answer in this devotional message from The Great Rescue Bible (NIV). -Adam Forrest God’s picture of you Learn More When we look in the mirror, what do we see? Just an average person trying to get by in life? Know this: Visible-world mirrors are known for telling lies. [READ] There's a huge difference between what we think of ourselves and what the Bible says about us. If we look with kingdom eyes, we'll see our real reflection: A child of the King (see John 1:12; 1 John 3:1), God's special possession (see 1 Peter 2:9), home to God's Spirit (see John 14:17; Ephesians 1:13), and seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms (see Ephesians 2:6). When the kingdom comes in its fullness, we'll even have a role in the judgment of the world and of angels (see 1 Corinthians 6:2–3). We might think we're average, but that's far from the truth. [THINK] Sometimes we think the Bible is just trying to encourage us with verses like those because we need something to lift us up when we're down. But God is giving us a picture of who we really are. We're actually clothed in Christ, and his Spirit is actually living in us. Like two metals that have melted together, we blend. In The Real World, no one can tell exactly where Jesus ends and we begin. We can never be separated from who he is. If we really believe that, we won't be discouraged for very long, we'll stand up to the giants in our lives, and we'll see God working when others think he isn't. [LIVE] Practically, what does your new identity look like? Well, when a relationship starts to go bad, you can choose to act like a son or daughter of the King — loving and secure. If someone stabs you in the back, you can continue to live in The Real World and keep behaving like royalty. And when the people you love do things that mess up their own lives (or yours!), you can patiently show them how people of God's kingdom have learned a better way. In other words, you can show them your true ID. [NXT LVL] To be reminded of who you really are, read Ephesians 1 and take note of everything that goes along with the phrase "in Christ" or "in him." -From The Great Rescue Bible   Learn More Learn more about The Great Rescue Bible (NIV): Discover Your Part in God’s Plan by Walk Thru Bible.   (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.)

You are subscribed to email updates from Zondervan BlogZondervan Blog - Think Outside The Book To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610