In today’s world, we tend to look for our identity everywhere except where we should. We look to our careers, our social status, our financial wealth, our things and even our relationships. While there is nothing wrong with having a fulfilling career, being liked by your friends, accumulating wealth, or having a great relationship with the person you love, these should not be the basis of our identities. This past week during Friday Night Fire we learned that our identity comes from the Lord. He has created us; we are made in His image. We are made for His glory, each of us uniquely and intentionally designed. I think about the Mona Lisa. Imagine that great work of art telling Leonardo da Vinci that it needed blond hair, a different smile or that he should have used pastels. Sounds absurd I know, but we do that all the time to God. We are each created by Him for Him and in His image. That is so very important! Because of this we have value, we are never worthless because of this. Our value to the Creator of the universe should never be questioned because of what He did on our behalf. The Apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 2:6-8, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. You see, Jesus who was and is our creator God, made Himself human to suffer and die for you and me. That should more than prove our worth and value. It should also cause us to look at ourselves and others a little differently. We should love and respect others because of this, even the ones who are difficult to love or are not like us because they have value too, the same value you and I have. Our value is not based on some phony identity we make for ourselves. You see, we don’t have to create an identity based on the things of this world; when we do that, we are really committing identity theft because God made you who you are for a purpose. Are you fulfilling that purpose or are you trying to make yourself what you want to be? It is not always easy but here are a few tips that can help you out:

• Find some mature Christians who don’t expect you to conform to the world to find your identity.
• Spend consistent time reading the Bible to see who God wants you to be.
• Find a Bible believing church that you can join and be faithful in attendance.

If you have more questions about your identity, you are more than welcome to join us for Friday Night Fire where we seek to do God’s will in our lives each week. This week we will be looking at sin, how it affects us, how it affects the world we live in, and how we can have hope despite it. This is the perfect week for you to come if you ever wondered why bad things happen in life or why did this happen to me and/or the people I love or if you just want to learn more about the Lord. Join us 7 pm Friday Night @ Open Door Baptist 606 Cottonwood.