HEART, MIND, AND IDENTITY RECALIBRATION

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."  (Colossians 3:1-4 NIV)

Paul’s words are a gentle but firm recalibration. He reminds us that resurrection isn’t just a future hope -- it’s a present reality. We’ve been raised with Christ. That means our spiritual GPS has been reset. Our affections, ambitions, and attention are no longer tethered to the dust of this world but drawn upward to the throne where Christ reigns.

But this isn’t escapism. It’s engagement with eternity in the now. To “set your hearts on things above” is to let heaven’s values shape earthly choices. It’s choosing grace over grudges, compassion over judgment, truth over convenience, and service over self.

Paul doesn’t say “glance” at things above. He says “set” -- as in fix, anchor, dwell. Our minds and hearts are to be intentionally directed toward the reality of Christ’s rule and our identity in Him. Why? Because our true life is hidden in Him. Not lost. Not forgotten. Hidden -- secure, protected, and waiting to be revealed in glory.

HEART CHECK: What has captured your heart lately? Is it something eternal or something fleeting?

MIND SHIFT: What thoughts dominate your day? Are they rooted in fear, comparison, or control -- or in the peace and promise of Christ?

IDENTITY REMINDER: You are not defined by your past, your performance, your politics, or your possessions. You are hidden in Christ. Let that truth shape how you walk through each day. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™, compiled from a variety of sources 

#6206

 

GRACE REDEFINED PETER’S IDENTITY

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ Peter said, ‘You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter answered, ‘Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of My sheep.’ The third time He said to Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ He said, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My sheep.’” (John 21:15-17)

Right there, Jesus did more for Peter -- and more for us -- than we can imagine. Jesus was telling Peter that he wasn’t finished. Peter was going to be the rock on which the mission of God would be established and carried forward. Jesus was telling Peter that his identity wasn’t going to be a denier of Jesus. (See Luke 22:54-62 for Peter’s denial of Jesus.) He was going to be a hero of faith and a legend in the church. In fact, Peter would one day very soon preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, and three thousand people would be saved that day (Acts 2:14-42).

Sure, there were consequences to Peter’s denial of Jesus. Two thousand years later, we’re still studying the story. Peter’s denial didn’t get swept under the rug or erased from the memory bank of humanity. There were consequences for Peter, just like there are consequences to your decisions and my decisions, too.
 
Yet Jesus never focused on the failure. He focused on the restoration. Grace removed Peter’s guilt, and grace also removed Peter’s shame. Peter’s identity was no longer wrapped up in the denial. Peter failed, but he wasn’t a failure. He wasn’t useless. Peter’s life was no longer marked by shame. Grace redefined Peter as a friend and family member of God Almighty.
 
That’s what the grace of God does for you and me, too.
 
 -- Louie Giglio in “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table” 

#6188

A NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV)

Jesus invited Peter and his brother, Andrew, to forsake their business in order to string along with Him, and “immediately they left their nets and followed Him“ (Matthew 4:18-20). Soon Jesus called two other brothers to follow Him. “Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (Matthew 4:22). The Gospel writers reveal a sense of immediacy accompanying Jesus’ call. They recognize a sense of timing. Jesus’ call in our lives is both immediate and timely.

Not only does Jesus call us to join ranks with Him; He also names us. In recruiting Peter, Jesus said to him, “You are Simon… you are to be called… Peter” (John 1:42). Gospel vignettes remind us that we must name Jesus for ourselves. Nathaniel named Jesus “the Son of God… the King of Israel” (John 1:49). In the early chapter of the Gospels, so many people are naming and being named. We too might allow Jesus to name us, to tell us who we really are. Naming someone defines the person, allows the person to take on an entirely new identity. When Jesus lays claim upon our lives, we are given a new name…

When John’s disciples broke ranks to follow after Jesus, He asked them, “Who are you looking for?” They responded, “Where do you live?” Jesus asked who, they responded where. Their spirituality was uninformed. They looked for grace in “things and places.” Jesus offered them grace in a living, loving relationship. Jesus still asks the “who” questions – not merely “what.” “What are you doing?” is a doing question with a doing reply: I am a teacher, a machinist, a physician, and so forth. But “who” you are invites a being response. “Who” inquires into the soul of us. Who are you? What name has Jesus given you? What name have you given Jesus? 

-- Norman Shawchuck in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#6088

WHAT DEFINES YOU?

“One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, Jesus asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.’” (John 5:5-7 NIV)

The fact that the invalid is called invalid is no insignificant detail. It’d be like me introducing myself as asthmatic. I realize it’s a grammatical mechanism used throughout Scripture with a wide variety of nameless people -- the prostitute with the alabaster jar, the man born blind, and the woman caught in adultery, to name a few. They are synonymous with their sin, with their sickness. But there is a lesson to be learned: don’t let what’s wrong with you define you. That’s not who you are. When my children lie to me, I don’t call them liars. I remind them that that’s not who they are. I certainly call it what it is -- a lie. But I don’t let what they’ve done wrong define their identity or destiny.

Our culture has a tendency to reduce people to labels. Not only is that unhealthy and unholy, it’s also dehumanizing. Don’t let anyone label you besides the One who made you. Take your cues from Scripture.

          You are more than a conqueror. (See Romans 8:37)
          You are the apple of God’s eye.  (See Zechariah 2:8)
          You are sought after.  (See Isaiah 62:12)
          You are a joint heir with Christ. (See Romans 8:17)
          You are a child of God. (See John 1:12) 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible”

#5984

CELEBRATING WHO WE ARE

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:12-14 NKJV)

Knowing the stories of our faith, and how they connect with our own life experiences, means that we can celebrate the faithfulness and grace-bestowing love of God that was given to Abraham and Sarah, to the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness, and to the disciples. We can celebrate what is given to us as we join others in claiming God’s purpose and rejoicing in God’s love as we gather at the Lord’s table. We can celebrate what will be given to us and to all creation in times yet to come because God is faithful and God keeps His promises.

We know who we are -- children of God loved and forgiven and called by God! And we know Whose we are -- children of God called to be witnesses to God’s love and care for all the world. We are therefore able to share in festivity that grows out of our shared stories and visions. Our identity as God’s children -- His beloved sons and daughters -- causes us to seek ways to celebrate and repeatedly affirm that we are who we are! 

-- Adapted from “Rituals for Resurrection” by Linda J. Vogel

#5740

OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

I firmly believe that our lives are God's gift to us. What we do with our lives is our gift to God. My treasure isn't the gold medal, it's how I share this experience with others. What I bring back to them that can help them with their lives...

Through my faith, I've learned that my identity cannot be caught up with winning a gold medal. The fame of being an Olympic medalist wears off. Nothing else in this world will last. That's why you have to have your identity in Christ. 

-- Sheila Taormina, 1996 gold medal Olympic swimmer, 2000 & 2004 Olympic triathlete, 2008 Olympic modern pentathlete, the first woman to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports.

#5151

THE THOUSAND-PIECE PUZZLE

Why am I a thousand-piece puzzle when everyone else is already put together?… Who am I now? Who am I, now that my loved one has died? …

All I seem to see are the scattered pieces of my life cast before me on the card table, waiting for me to pick them up and make the picture. But what picture do all these pieces form? I used to think I knew. I used to know who I was and where I was going and how I was going to get there. But now… I can't even remember where the puzzle begins and I end….

Am I still a mother if there is no child to tuck in at night? Am I still a dad if there is no one to loan the car keys to? Am I still a wife if there is no one to snuggle up to in my bed? Am I still a husband if there is no one waiting at home for me at the end of the day? Am I still a sister or brother if there is no one to tease? Am I still a child if my parent has died? Am I still a human being, capable of loving and being loved, if the one person I loved more than anything has become frozen in time? Who am I now that my loved one has died?…

Keep turning the puzzle pieces over. But don't keep trying to put them back into the same picture. That picture is gone. There is a new picture to be made of those scattered pieces. Search for that scene. Search for the new you... search for the new person you are becoming…

There is joy in living… if we allow time… to reassemble the thousand-piece puzzle.

-- Darcie D. Sims in TCF Salt Lake City January/February 2001 Newsletter


#4254

DESIGNED TO FLOURISH

God showed the prophet Ezekiel a vision of languishing: a valley full of dry bones.  It was the image of a failure to thrive.  God asked “Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” and Ezekiel answered, “You alone know.”  God did know, and he made them come alive.

I know a man named Tim who was an addict, lost his family, lost everything, found God, gave up his addiction, and got his life back again.  I know a man named Peter who was a tormented slave to sexual impulses, and God got ahold of him and that changed.  I know a woman who hated confrontation so badly she once drove on an extended road trip with her best friend for three days in silence to avoid confrontation.  Today she confronts recreationally.

God wants you to grow!  He created the very idea of growth.  The Talmud says that every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, whispering, “Grow, grow,” Paul said that in Christ the whole redeemed community “grows and builds itself up in love.”

Your flourishing is never just about you.  It is a “so that” kind of condition.  God designed you to flourish “so that” you could be part of His redemptive project in ways that you otherwise could not.  He wants you to flourish “so that” people can be encouraged, gardens can be planted, music can be written, sick people can be helped, or companies can thrive in ways they otherwise would not.  When you fail to become the person God designed, all the rest of us miss out on the gift you were made to give.

-- John Ortberg in The Me I Want to Be

#3677

OUR TRUE IDENTITY

Do you find your identity in who you are or whose you are?

That subtle nuance makes all the difference in the world, both this one and the next.

You can base your identity on a thousand things -- the degrees you've earned, the positions you hold, the salary you make, the trophies you've won, the hobbies you have, the way you look, the way you dress, or even the car you drive. But if you base your identity on any of those temporal things, your identity is a house of cards. There is only one solid foundation: Jesus Christ. If you find security in what you have done, you will always fall short of the righteous standard set by the sinless Son of God. The solution? The gospel. There is only one place in which to find your true identity and eternal security: what Christ has done for you.


-- Mark Batterson in All In




#3634

THE TRUE IDENTITY OF GOD

I heard a question thrown at a man I greatly respect.  R.C. Sproul, a philosopher and theologian, was asked, "What, in your opinion, is the greatest spiritual need in the world today?"

Dr. Sproul paused, then replied, "The greatest need in people's lives today is to discover the true identity of God."  He pointed out that most nonreligious people do not really understand the God they're rejecting.  If they did, they would probably call a truce -- at least a temporary truce -- to make sure the battle was worth continuing.

Someone then asked the theologian a follow-up question: "What, in your opinion, is the greatest spiritual need in the lives of church people?"

To my delight Sproul shot back the very same answer: "To discover the true identity of God.  If believers really understood the character and the personality and the nature of God, it would revolutionize their lives."

-- Bill Hybels in The God You're Looking For


#3524

GOD'S HANDIWORK

Only God knows your full potential, and He is guiding you toward that best version of yourself all the time.  He has many tools and is never in a hurry.  That can be frustrating for us, but even in our frustration, God is at work to produce patience in us.  He never gets discouraged by how long it takes, and He delights every time you grow.  Only God can see the “best version of you,” and He is more concerned with you reaching your full potential than you are.

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

You are not your handiwork; your life is not your project.  Your life is God’s project.  God thought you up, and He knows what you were intended to be.  He has many good works for you to do, but they are not the kind of “to do” lists we give spouses or employees.  They are sign-posts to your true self.

Your “spiritual life” is not limited to certain devotional activities that you engage in.  It is receiving power from the Spirit of God to become the person God had in mind when He created you -- His handiwork.

-- John Ortberg in The Me I Want to Be


#3233