Rays of Hope ~ Tim Stockton
A continuation from the last article that can also be read from the blog timstocktonraysofhope.com is about how it is God who defines us and gives us our identity. Living in the present people have to be aware of the fact there are dishonest, crooked, and manipulative people who are out to steal as many identities that they can. The very first identity theft came soon after the beginning and the original two people had their true identities stolen by the “father of lies and deception.”
When sin came into the world it changed the human relationship to God from that point on. From even before that point God knew and made a plan to bring restoration. In a somewhat comical, yet serious explanation Jase Robertson, from the Duck Dynasty family in a YouTube short from Truthimus.com states, “We can know the entire Bible in 60 seconds. From Genesis to Malachi it tells that Jesus is coming to earth in human form because we humans are flawed. The four gospels tell of when Jesus; God in human form came to the earth. Then Acts through Revelation lets us know that Jesus is coming back.”
Revelation 13:8 states that Jesus is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth.” This means God knew what the human race would do to need salvation even before He created them, yet He did anyway and therefore made a plan on how to bring salvation to all those who choose to believe.
As explained in the Defined study from the Kendrick brothers, “God’s love for us, His desire for a relationship with us, and our identity as His image bearers never changed.” God is always calling us closer but we have to have “ears to hear.” The deceiver is still out to “steal, kill, and destroy” any and all opportunities that are given to accept and know Truth. Jesus explained in the parable of the sower about how the same seed (the Word of God) was sown on the different types of soil and how if it doesn’t take root the enemy will “snatch it away.”
We do all we can to protect our identity from being stolen like hiding our pin numbers, using passwords, securing our devices, and using privacy controls. Likewise, we need to do all we can to protect our true identities God designed within us and become the Light bearers that we were always meant to be.
11-17-24 ~ TRS
Rays of Hope 