Identity“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:21-24) In the 2003 movie Identity, John Cusack and Ray Liotta are among the 10 strangers stranded in a hotel who begin to get to know one another as they are being killed off one by one. In today’s world, our identity is based on what we do. On the job, in business, at the gym, among friends, and even at home we’re always working to win approval from others. Working overtime to convince those around us that we deserve the respect, the promotion, the goodwill, the salary, the introduction, the friendship, the deal, and even the love they give us. But God has something much better for us and it’s called grace, amazing grace. Grace is unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor and acceptance, and we can only find it in the loving heart of God Almighty Himself. There’s no better picture of God’s grace than the story of the prodigal son. By Jewish standards the prodigal son had committed some of the most despicable acts possible. He had not only taken advantage of his father and spent his inheritance in riotous living, he had left the nation of Israel and went to a far country that didn’t know God, didn’t bring home the bacon and was so broke he was sent to feed the swine (Luke 15:15), and that was as low of a Lowdown Dirty Shame any Jew could get. In the Jewish believers’ eyes that Jesus told the story to, that boy’s rebellion was so serious his father’s only recourse was to disown him to keep the family kosher before the rabbi does. But instead this father welcomed his repentant son home with love and open arms. He offered him grace, unmerited favor, that was based on the father’s love rather than the son’s poor performance. So the next time we find ourselves struggling to make up to God for something we’ve done wrong, working to win His approval, let the story of the prodigal son set us free. Let it remind us that, in spite of our sins and imperfections, God the Father has received us with open arms and our Identity is based on God’s love for us, not what we do or don’t do. God has put a robe of righteousness on our backs, His signet ring of authority on our hands, and the sandals of sonship on our feet. We are not worthy like Wayne and Garth in Wayne’s World, but God hasn’t based His relationship with us on our worthiness. God has based it on His magnificent love for us, and we don’t have to struggle to prove ourselves to Him. God never has a bad heir day, and as far as He is concerned, we’re a proven success because we’re His children, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17)Copyright © 2003 Eddy Ministries. All rights reserved. Subscribe/Unsubscribe: eddyn@earthlink.net
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