Who He Says I Am

Devotion for the Week...

The past few days, I've had the song Who You Say I Am, by Hillsong Worship, going through my head. Mostly it has been just this one line, which is repeated often in the song: "I am who you say I am." I'll be sewing or walking or whatever and realize that line has been on repeat for a while, kind of like it was just running in the background. There are some songs that bug me when they get stuck in my head like that, especially if it's only one line on repeat, but this one doesn't bother me at all. It's a comfort and a reassurance, to be constantly reminded that He is the one who defines me, not my insecurities or other people.

This is true for all of us. We are who He says we are, not who we think we are, not who the world says we are, not who a disapproving parent or ex or friend says we are. God alone has the final word on our identity and our worth.

1 Peter 2:9 says, "you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession." Do you see what incredible value God places on us?

We are a chosen people. 

God chose to redeem us. He chose to have relationship with us. Why? Because He loves us! "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" (1 John3:1). 

We are royal priests.

The royal part is pretty easy to understand: we are children of the Most High, which makes us heirs with Jesus. "And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory" (Romans 8:17). 

The priest part is a little less obvious. The priests in the Old Testament were the ones who had access to God, the ones who mediated between the people and God through the offering of sacrifices. Now, because of our belief in Jesus, we have access to God without needing to go through someone else and we are able to offer sacrifices of prayers and praise ourselves. "And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God" (1 Peter 2:5).

We are a holy nation.

It doesn't matter where we were born or where we live now, we are part of God's kingdom. "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins" (Colossians 1:13-14).

We are God's very own possession.

We are treasured by God. "God bought you with a high price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). That high price was Jesus' death on the cross, which He willingly paid for our salvation because He thinks we're worth the price. 

Whenever we find ourselves thinking we're not good enough or we're not _____ enough, it would be helpful to remember we are who He says we are.