"...unless you change and become like little children..." (Matt 18:3)

[Reading Time: Approx. 9 min]

Lesson 11 Devotional: Jesus | Provided our Identity

Mark 1:6-8 (NIV)6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful the than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Our baptism into Christ brings us into the true purpose for our lives, being born again as adopted children of God (Ephesians 1:4-5).Jesus came after John to bring us salvation. This salvation reconciles us to God. When we are reconciled to Him, we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we receive a new identity—our identity is now in Christ As children of God (Colossians 3:9-11). At least it should be.As we discuss our purpose, we’ll first focus on our identity in Christ. Then we’ll talk about the implications for our daily lives as a result of this new identity.

Our Identity: Children of GodSome of us can put our identity in the neighborhood we live in, the home we live in, or what kind of car we drive. Some of us identify as an athlete, a businessperson, an entrepreneur, or something tied to our career. If our business is doing well, we feel great about ourselves. If it’s not, we can feel “less than.” As parents, it’s easy to identify with how well our children are doing. We all find ourselves identifying with something.Before I became a Christian, my identity was in being a weightlifter and bodybuilder. That was what I was known for and what I wanted to be known for. When my muscle gains were slow or nonexistent, or when my bench press wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I felt “less than.” But when I was getting good results, I felt great about myself. My identity at that time was based on what I did. My muscle measurements and the numbers I wrote down in my training log were the "seal" of my identity. But these were worthless seals that only produced selfish pride.Even though I have been a Christian for almost 30 years, I can still fall back into putting my identity in worthless things if I’m not careful. While it’s an ongoing struggle, God has been helping me in growing in keeping my focus on who I am in Christ rather than what I accomplish or how I’m perceived by others.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

When we come into Christ, our identity is taken care of and the “seal” of our identity in Christ is the Holy Spirit. The seal was not based on anything we accomplished, but on what Jesus accomplished by sacrificing himself on the cross and God the Father raising him from the dead after three days. This seal is of immeasurable value. It guarantees eternal life and an opportunity for life to the full in this world as one of the children in the family of God!

Our Identity: Living it OutWhat does this identity in Christ mean for our daily lives? Since our identity is based on being sealed with the Holy Spirit, it means that we have full access to God, just as a child has full access to their own father. Under the old covenant, the presence of God was behind a curtain in a special part of the temple. There were very strict regulations about who could go behind that curtain, and they could only do so under certain conditions. If those conditions were violated, the offender would be put to death because our God is holy. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the temple was torn. This meant that the access once available only to a select few of God’s people is now available to all of God’s people.The guarantee of eternal life and the opportunity for life to the full in this life are things we can take with us in every endeavor we pursue and every situation we face in our daily lives.

Eternal Life Guarantee

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

"Heaven" matters to us all. Even to those who don’t believe in God or an afterlife. Those who don’t believe in an afterlife try to make their heaven on earth. That’s why we see some of the richest people in the world trying to do things to help them to live “forever.“ It’s in our spiritual DNA to think about living forever. But we don’t work in futility to find a “fountain of youth.’

Revelation 21.1–4 (NIV)21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Being children of God, we now have the ultimate gift waiting for us. There will come a time when we will be with God who will reward us for our labor in this life, and he himself will be our reward as we get to dwell in his presence For all of eternity. We can take this promise into our everyday life and in every difficult situation. We could even look at hardships in our lives as they are a bad dream, recognizing that we will soon wake up from that dream into a beautiful reality. That reality is the new heaven and new earth to come. So we don’t have to try to make heaven on earth. There is a real heaven that awaits us.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV)14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

And since we have this promise, we don’t have to waste our days fearing death. We can be excited about that day to come and feel free to live the life of love that God has given us. We could focus on loving God and the people he put in our lives, preaching the good news to win as many souls as possible, and strengthening the church to bring glory to God. Now that we have been released from the slavery of our fear to death, we can live life to the full.

Offer of Life to the Full

John 10:10 (NIV)10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus offers us life to the full. What does that mean? I’m sure there is more to it than this, but at least in part we know that we can live a fruitful life — walking with God in all the good times and bad times and doing the same with those God has put in our lives. We are relational beings. I am in my early 50s. My childhood was four decades ago. The memories that meant the most to me were times when I was with my family doing the simple things. That was life to the full for me. Going to the beach, going to the park, family game night, playing catch and shooting baskets with my brother and dad. Hanging out with my mom as she baked cookies for us. Lying on the living room floor watching TV with my family. These memories are so special to me. I don’t remember any of the great toys or gifts I was given.In the same way, life to the full for us today is about relationships. It’s about God being with us in those dark nights of the soul when things are very difficult and you don’t know how they’re going to turn out. I’ve had those times. I’ve had long periods of difficulty. But being able to go and be with God in the midst of it, have brought such great closeness in my relationship with God. and these very same struggles – the worst ones of my life – have been used by God to give encouragement and strength to other people that later struggle with the same things I did. Those have brought about some of the best and most fulfilling relationships in my life. God speaks of how he uses challenges like this.

Second Corinthians 1.3–4 (NIV)3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

In addition to life to the full being about God being with us, we also experience this by being able to participate in His godliness and holiness. All the things that people love about “good people” are the things that come from God’s nature. As Holy Spirit-filled Christians, we get to participate in that. We get to be those very people. How exciting that is—life to the full!

Genesis 1:26: (NIV)26 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”

When God created us, He did so with the expressed intent of creating a people who would be one with Him—in relationship with Him (John 17:20-22); that we would be like him (Ephesians 4.24). He said that He was making us in “their image.” This is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are one.So, even though He said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness,,” Our very creation was to be the likeness of God—to be like Him, to be like Jesus. So what is our identity? Everything you see in Jesus, that is who we are to be. In Christ, all our sins are forgiven, so when God the Father sees us, He sees perfection. He sees His Son.

We Must Protect Our IdentityOur adoption into Christ also puts us at war with the enemy. We are at war (Revelation 12:1) with Satan, fighting to keep the identity we received at baptism. He is the father of lies (John 8:44), constantly accusing us day and night (Revelation 12:10), and trying to steal our identity, just as he did with Adam and Eve. They were already made in God’s image in the ways God intended—in the ways that brought life. But Satan sought to make them “in God’s image” in a way that brought death, tempting them to acquire the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:15-17).He told them that they were not like God because they didn’t know good and evil (Genesis 3:5, 22)—causing them to question their identity. it was true that they were not like God in that way. But this was for their own good. So, because (at least in part) they weren’t secure in who they were, they fell—bringing down with them all of mankind, just as we bring down those around us when we walk off of the path God has set for us.This is the same struggle we face every day. We wrestle with our identity. This is why I wanted to start our discussion on purpose by grounding ourselves in our identity in Christ.

Walking As Jesus Did: Practical ApplicationHow can we apply what we’ve learned today to walk as Jesus did? In our efforts to live our purpose as a son or daughter of God, we can look to Jesus as our example of being clear and confident in our identity — even outside of the works God has established for us to do.

1Pray to Abba, Father More:Abba (Mark 14:35-36) is an Aramaic term meaning "daddy." It conveys a deep sense of intimacy, dependence, and resect. The term emphasizes both reference and childlike trust. As children of God, we can come to Him on an intimacy level that is impossible with our earthly fathers. He wants to hear our deepest pains and be there as a comfort and deliverer.
2Spend More Time with Believers In Mark 3:31-35, Jesus says that His brother, sister, and mother are all those who do His Father's will. We need to prioritize relationships as Jesus did. The writer of Hebrews tells us explicitly that we are not not be in the habit of not meeting together with the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25)
3Obey Like a Good Son or Daughter: As a Son of God, Jesus took obedience to God seriously (Mark 14:35-36). We should spend more time in His Word, discovering what His will is and being more intentional about obedience as a way to show honor, love, and respect for our Father in heaven, just as Jesus did.

Lesson 11 Training Tips: Growing Your Confidence in Your Identity

Getting More from Your Study of the GospelsThese insights aim to build your faith, deepen your understanding, and encourage practical application of God’s Word.

1Read: Mark 3:31-35.
2Meditate: Meditate Mark 3:31-35. Consider that as long as you are doing God's will, Jesus himself calls you his brother! Ponder that. How does that make you feel? What an honor (to say the least) that you are God's child and Jesus's sibling!
3Pray: pray that God would help you to have this word planted in you that you are the brother or sister of Jesus! I want you to walk around in your day with a confidence that no matter how difficult your day is, your brother and Lord is with you (Matt 28:20).

ConclusionIn this lesson, we began by exploring the idea of knowing our purpose. Rather than immediately focusing on what we should be "doing," I wanted to first emphasize our "being"—who we are in Christ. It's important to understand our identity before considering our actions. When we truly recognize that we are children of God, it transforms everything. Internalizing this identity—our "being"—is the foundation for living our purpose with confidence.

Up NextWe'll go deeper into embracing our identity as children of God by walking with our Abba Father intimately in our daily lives.

Lesson 11: Jesus | With Him, We Know Our Purpose for Our Lives: To Be Children of God (Mark 1:8)

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