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"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!"
(Ephesians 2:4-5, CSB)
For those who may not know, Kyndall (my wife) and I have an 11-month-old named Tabor. We are quite obsessed with him and think he is absolutely adorable. When we are out in public or at church, people will come up to us and ask about our little man. Usually, we tell them how old he is and his name. Tabor is not the most common name, and we have to explain that it is my (Bryant's) middle name.
That's right, my full name is Bryant Tabor Forshee. My first name is after my Dad's middle name, and my middle name is after the doctor who helped deliver me (Shout out to Dr. Tabor). My last name, of course, is my family name, passed down from generation to generation. It is wild to think that I did not have much say or input into my identity, but I am so thankful for a good name from my parents.
Why am I explaining how I got my name? ...something that happened almost 32 years ago?
As followers of Jesus, we need to constantly reaffirm, think about, and meditate on our identity, which has been changed from "dead in trespasses" to "alive with Christ". Your identity was once hopeless, but now it's hopeful. You were once destined for Hell and are now destined for Heaven. You were once far from God, and now you are near to God.
Not only has our eternal destination and our outlook on life changed from awful to amazing, but as followers of Jesus, we are also loved with a "great love" by God. If you have not had the chance, go ahead and read the verse for today:
Ephesians 2:4-5: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!"
Now, look at the identity you have as a follower of Jesus! You are greatly loved by a God who is RICH in mercy! You were made alive by this deeply merciful, greatly loving God! Your input was trespasses and spiritual death, but His input made you alive in Christ. You are saved by the grace of this amazing and incredibly loving God.
If you are like me, it is hard to believe these truths of your identity sometimes. You know yourself and sometimes doubt that God could love you that much. Maybe you believe the lie that God is very disappointed in you rather than having great love for you. These are lies from Satan, who wants us NOT to live in our identity given to us by God. We must choose to believe what Scripture says over what our feelings and Satan may tempt us to believe.
Today, let Ephesians 2:4-5 give you your identity and not your negative self-thoughts that directly oppose what God's word says!
Your identity: Greatly loved by God, made alive by Christ, and saved by God's grace!
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