Re: [FamilyofGod] Will The Real You Please Stand Up?
wanda
Prov.28:13- he that covereth his sin shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them , shall have mercy.
From: Michael J. Knight <michaelnight82@
To: FamilyofGod@
Sent: Sun, June 27, 2010 11:08:04 PM
Subject: [FamilyofGod] Will The Real You Please Stand Up?
Will The Real You Please Stand Up?
2 Corinthians 5:17
It was a TV show a long time ago, and it's a TV show again. The idea must still have some life in it! It's called "To Tell the Truth" - maybe you have seen it. Three contestants all tell the panel their name - and they all claim to be the same person. The host reads a little background on the person, and then it's up to the panel to try to figure out which one is the real one. The climactic moment comes when the host says, "Will the real Joe please stand up?" They all shift in their chairs, but finally one stands up. The real one!
For many people, the struggle to identify which person is really them is a deeply personal one - one that rages within us. It's very important that you decide which of three identities is really you. In fact, the identity you choose will determine much of how you make your life choices and whether you feel significant or insignificant.
Identity #1 is you, the victim. Now if you've been hurt, betrayed, maybe abused, or abandoned, or neglected, it's possible to live your life thinking of yourself as a victim. Which means you will spend much of your life feeling worthless, depressed, distrusting, maybe negative, or self-pitying. And your relationships, your decisions, your goals will all be shaped by choosing "victim" as your identity.
OK, Identity #2 is you, the sinner. While the victim focuses on their pain, the sinner focuses on their failures. You are frequently reliving the things you've done that were wrong - maybe very wrong, in some cases. If you decide that the "you" that is going to stand up is you, the sinner, you're also going to feel worthless much of the time...and ashamed ... and never good enough. You'll accept and you'll expect a little life because you think that's all you deserve. And your shame will cause you to feel, "What's the use?" - and that will set you up for more and more mistakes.
But there's a third identity you can choose. It's spelled out in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There is an amazing transformation that takes place when a person gives themselves to Jesus Christ - from that moment on they have the right, they have the spiritual power to live as a new person!
So if you belong to Jesus Christ, the real you is Identity #3 - new person in Jesus Christ! You don't have to be defined by your past pain. You don't have to be defined by your past sin. You are now defined by your relationship with Jesus - you are a child of God ... a servant of Christ ... and a Make A Difference person! Because you are forgiven ...you are clean ... you are free from the shackles of the past. You're about your future now, not your past! Don't miss; don't forget who you really are! It's time for the real you to stand up!
And if you've never given yourself to the Man who died so you could be forgiven and new ... if you're ready to begin your life-changing relationship with Jesus, would you tell Him that right now.
Love & Prayers,
Michael J. Knight.
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/A-C- T-S/
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and I could say, "I used everything that you gave me."
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