Who Am I? Gods Created Child

A. Gen. 1:27. In the very familiar story of the Prodigal Son in Lk. 15:11-32, Jesus made a very
interesting statement in, VS. 17, when He said that, having wasted his inheritance, the
young man “came to himself” and decided to go back home.
The Prodigal Son changed his course of action for the better when he changed his thinking about himself — that is, when he learned to see the truth about who he really was. The question “Who am I?” is a very important question for every human being. It is difficult to overestimate how powerfully we are affected by the way we think about ourselves: our self-concept, our sense of personal identity. If we are to have any hope of a quality relationship with God — and hence a quality life — we are going to have to answer the question “Who am I?” in a way that is true to reality.
If we are serious about the question of who we really are, the place to begin is the beginning: we must come to grips with the fact that we are nothing less than God- created beings, made in God’s own image!
(A) It boils down to the Question of Identity. Gen. 1:27. That’s the Bible’s affirmation of you and me. God is a personal being — and so are we. We are not merely things, or even animals — we are persons. And the difference between us and the animals is not merely quantitative — it is qualitative. We do not merely have more cells than an animal, nor are we merely a more complex organism — we are of a different order of being altogether. The difference between a human being and other beings in the world is vitally important. To murder a human being, for example, is a fundamentally different act than to take the life of an animal.
Gen. 9:5-6. It is important to note also that God made us male and female — we are not just generic persons, we are men and women. It is an astonishing thing to contemplate that God has made us to be persons like Himself with whom He can communicate and have fellowship.
Since we have been created in God’s own image as personal beings, the central concern of our existence is our relationship to the God who created us. Eccl. 12:13-14. What does this tell us about ourselves? What does it mean?
We have incredible personal worth. We are truly worth more than any of the lower creatures. That’s what Jesus said in Matt. 6:26.
But as equal bearers of the divine image, no person is worth any more or less than another! Every human has a deep need for two things: Security: the confidence that we are unconditionally loved and appreciated. Significance: the confidence that we matter, and what we do counts for something good, and that our lives are being spent in truly worthwhile endeavors.
That Security is seen in Rom. 5:8. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That Significance is seen in Paul’s inspired statement in 1 Cor. 15:58. You’re not spinning your wheels when you give your heart and life to God. It really counts for something.

We need to feed our minds on the steadfastness of God’s love for us. God’s love for who I am as His created child can be counted on. This does not mean God will not punish me if I persist in sin. What it does mean is that God will never quit loving me — He will be there waiting for me as long as life lasts.
But here is another amazing thing. Although each person has equal worth as a person, each person is uniquely significant! Equality does not mean sameness.
A dollar bill and a silver dollar are worth exactly the same value — yet they are not
the same thing. In the human race, God has created a wonderful blend of equality
and uniqueness.
No two people are exactly alike. “Strengths” imply corresponding weaknesses” — and each person has a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. We never seem to be satisfied with what God has given us as individuals — and we waste a great deal of time wishing for someone else’s unique combination of qualities. 1 Cor. 12:15-18.
I need to be thankful for who I am. As long as I am in this world, I need always to be looking for the unique contribution that I personally can make. Lk. 12:7, I am uniquely and intimately know by the God who created me. He knows more about me than I know about myself. God cares equally and deeply about every detail of every person He has ever created!
I’m no greater in God’s kingdom than you are. Don’t get the big head and think you’re better than others. Your value as a person is intrinsic value. It is inherent in what you are.
Constantly remind ourselves of our worth as persons. Keep yourself focused in the right direction. Keep your “internal gyroscope” of eternal worth, as God’s special creature and you won’t think to highly of yourself for all the wrong reasons.
(1) Don’t degrade yourself and your worth by the ever-changing “Social mirror” on which the world bases it’s self-concept. Otherwise all you will become is a legend in your own mind.
(2) Paul said it this way in Rom. 12:3.
2. God has laid on all of the same responsibility. The ability to respond to our creator. We are accountable for how we respond to God. We are told in Heb. 4:13.
(1) Nothing I can do can lower my value to God. But what I do may misapply and misuse my value. My eternal destiny depends on what choices I make about myself as a person created in God’s image.
(2) We were made for God. And if we are honest with ourselves we must admit that our hearts can find no rest until they rest in Him.
(1) The ultimate question is: what am I doing with myself, the person God made me to be? We were made individually for fellowship with God and He wants each of us to be all He created us to be! After all the contemplation and wondering about who we are and what we are worth, no amount of human eloquence surpass the truth of the song we learned as children: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
(2) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 11/17/02 pm