Location: Richardson, TX
God has made us all with a personality. Some of us talkative and outgoing. Others are shy and reserved. Many fall somewhere in between. This is a part of being made in God's image; we have emotions and desires. However, the most important aspect of our identity is being in Christ.
Being in Christ means that our sense of individuality, our sense of importance, our sense of security, our sense of significance should all be found in Christ and Christ alone. When we submitted to Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation our identity became completely rooted in Him. It is only by His power that we can do anything and it is in Him that we have communion with the Father.
As a result, there are times when we must guard our personalities in order to honor Christ. This is especially difficult for me because I like to be outgoing, friendly and fun. When interacting with people it's incredibly difficult for me to learn how to take a step back from the situation to listen.
I want to be heard.
I want to be noticed.
I want to be useful.
I want to be appreciated.
However, there are definitely moments I look back on and see warnings where God was trying to tell me to slow down, listen and guard my personality. This is a part of my testimony, demonstrating respect and honor to others. The verse that comes to mind is James 1:19:
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce righteousness of God."(ESV)
The "quick to hear" part is most convicting to me. When someone asks a question I am usually the first to answer instead of listening to others. I pray that God will continue to work in my life so I can be a better listener...
to God
and
to others
Happy Wednesday!
God has made us all with a personality. Some of us talkative and outgoing. Others are shy and reserved. Many fall somewhere in between. This is a part of being made in God's image; we have emotions and desires. However, the most important aspect of our identity is being in Christ.
Being in Christ means that our sense of individuality, our sense of importance, our sense of security, our sense of significance should all be found in Christ and Christ alone. When we submitted to Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation our identity became completely rooted in Him. It is only by His power that we can do anything and it is in Him that we have communion with the Father.
As a result, there are times when we must guard our personalities in order to honor Christ. This is especially difficult for me because I like to be outgoing, friendly and fun. When interacting with people it's incredibly difficult for me to learn how to take a step back from the situation to listen.
I want to be heard.
I want to be noticed.
I want to be useful.
I want to be appreciated.
However, there are definitely moments I look back on and see warnings where God was trying to tell me to slow down, listen and guard my personality. This is a part of my testimony, demonstrating respect and honor to others. The verse that comes to mind is James 1:19:
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce righteousness of God."(ESV)
The "quick to hear" part is most convicting to me. When someone asks a question I am usually the first to answer instead of listening to others. I pray that God will continue to work in my life so I can be a better listener...
to God
and
to others
Happy Wednesday!
really enjoyed this post! and it's so true!
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