“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
In Chapter 2 (“A New Way of Being”) of Transformed, Caesar Kalinowski states that, at times, Christians can identity flip-flop back and forth between resting and wrestling with the reality of our status in Christ. As the authors of The Cure: What If God Isn’t Who You Think He Is and Neither Are You (2012) emphasize, we must believe we are who God says we are:
“There were seasons early on when I believed: I have been changed into a new creature. I am fused with Jesus. He loves me and enjoys me all the time. He is maturing me in his way, in his time. I can trust and receive love. Most of the rest of the time I’ve believed: I changed in a legal sense, but not really, He is usually disappointed with me. He expects me to at least try to fix myself. I can’t be trusted or trust anyone else.”
We continue to rebel against God and sin, Pastor Kalinowski asserts, because we haven’t fully trusted in God’s grace and, as a result, aren’t living out our new identity as disciples of Christ.
Today’s question: Following your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, have you gravitated more toward trust or distrust in Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Righteousness (right-use-ness)”
