28 Days of Hope – Day 3
This week, we are building a foundation of God’s hope and learning to receive from God’s infinite supply. The more you receive, the more you will be overflowing with hope. God’s provision for us includes a new identity. Knowing who God is leads to knowing who we are in the Lord.
Hope is secure when you know who God made you to be. Because God cares about you, He gives you an identity that is deeper than anything the world can offer. When you know that God is good and faithful, you will want to find your identity in Jesus. How God sees you is more important than how you view yourself. Let His perspective become your perspective. Hope flourishes when we believe God’s report instead of what the culture tells us. God wants to give you His hope and protect you from classic identity traps.
A performance-based identity is a cruel rollercoaster ride. It whispers and declares that your worth and significance is based on what you do and how well you do it. This approach sounds appealing to people who are achievers and have had success or put their ultimate trust in their own abilities. Here is the trap. If your identity is performance-based, you will fluctuate between pride and shame, being inflated and deflated. I know because these were my patterns until I was a young adult in my twenties. I did not even realize I had a performance-based identity until my soccer career ended tragically. I was fighting for my life for a year, and it took ten years to fully recover. I learned at that painful point of my life that I cannot place my identity in anything I can lose. My childhood dream, job, career, passion, and health were all suddenly taken away, and I was wrestling with Who am I? I shifted and placed my hope and identity in God. I am one of God’s children and nothing is deeper, more secure, or more hopeful. It is an identity that can never be stolen or lost.
God is compassionate. Everyone is loved by God, made in God’s image, known by God, and pursued by God. Not everyone, however, has put their hope in Jesus. Security comes when you are in the body of Christ. Jesus has one family, and all are invited to have His secure hope for eternity. Decide to follow Jesus if you have never made that decision. If you are a follower of Jesus, He has come to set you free from performance traps and past failures. Peter denied Jesus three times, but Jesus restored him and raised him up to lead the movement. Our bad decisions do not define us. It is time to land your identity in His presence, promises, and provision. This is received, not achieved. You are who God says you are. Because of Jesus, you are in God’s forever family.
Hope Point: We can be secure in our identity in Christ.
Hope Story: Peter in John 21:15-22
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How has God given you a hope-filled identity?
- How do you answer the question when people ask you, “What do you do?”
- When you talk to people about fulfilling your life’s goals, what do you tell them?
- In what ways do you value your identity in Christ more than your personal reputation?
PRAYER
Thank You, God, that I am accepted and belong in Your family forever. Jesus, thank You for changing my life and destiny. My identity is in You. I am secure because no one can separate me from Your love and hope. I pray in Your holy name, amen.
28 Days of Hope is a journey together, as we rediscover and recommit to God’s indestructible hope in transformative ways. As you begin this journey, you’ll experience a sense of excitement about what God is going to do. If you have a desire to grow in your faith, strengthen your relationships, gain wisdom, cultivate new habits, experience more peace, and live daily with purpose and passion, then you are in the right place. Just Choose Hope
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