Today's Passage of Scripture: Luke 9:23-27
"Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and if the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.'"
In a world that encourages us to find identity in something, finding the anchor that holds who you are is not always easy to find or pinpoint. For example, some people search all their lives to find purpose in a variety of things -- fame, fortune, luxury, material things, etc. -- only to discover one day that no solid foundation validated their existence. It seems as though these kinds of people (well, really all people) are yearning for a particular item or being to come into their lives and completely transform it. As I read Luke 9, it made me question the identity that is Brandon Smith and quickly reminded me of an experience I had last fall. During the second or third week of my freshman year of college, a fellow student that I had met a few days before approached me with a simple question. In an effort to find out my identity, she asked, "Who is Brandon Smith?" I was taken back for a moment, not really knowing how to respond at first. However, from even the end of that conversation, the question lingered in the back of my mind. Who am I? In what do I find my identity? At the time, I do believe my mind was caught up in a whirlwind of interests and concerns. I wanted to study hard, become the best student that I could, and wind up achieving high success in the eyes of the world by finding a safe, financially secure job. While this is important, basing a part of your identity in seeking the world's approval is not a "smart" thing to do. In the passage above, Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him DENY himself..." Deny myself? I realize now that this means forfeiting everything in which I find my identity now and refocusing my central thoughts around the purposes of God. It may sound like an easy thing to do in words, but when I try to live this out on a daily basis, I learn that it is harder than it may seem. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." Some Christians and Bible scholars may take this passage literally by saying that martyrs and those who lose their life for Christ's sake are ones that truly get to partake in eternal life. I do not disagree with this point, but I also believe that the verse can be read in a slightly different light as well. For whoever desires to save his worldly status will lose it, but whoever loses his worldly status for Christ's sake will establish a new identity in Him. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to change Jesus's words. I simply think that Christ is trying to say something about claiming Him as one's identity. He gives clue by this warning in the next verse, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory." My encouragement for you today is simply this: if we who are in Christ are not afraid to let Him shine through us, then our identity should be formed in Christ and of Christ's teachings. I encourage you to seek His glory and to become like Him. And maybe you can ask yourself, "Who am I?"
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