Gratitude Series Episode 11

Hello, my walking friend! By now I hope you have started on your walk and have begun to put your focus on Jesus. Can you feel the gratitude filling your spirit as you think about the fact that you are walking with the King of Kings?

Today is the 11th episode in the gratitude series. In each podcast during this series we will take some time to focus on thanking Jesus for something specific and we will have two different verses to meditate on. Today we will be thanking Jesus for our identities.

Our first verse to meditate on is 1 John 3:1:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Take a few seconds and think about the different ways you are identified. Are you a parent? A daughter or son? What’s your nationality? Ethnicity? Gender? Social status? Occupation? Continue to think of the different ways you identify yourself.

Here are a few of mine: daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, small business owner, writer, speaker. I’m Italian, French…and yes, Christian. But what does it really mean to be a Christian? To be identified as someone who has made the Lord Jesus Christ their savior? It means your sins have been forgiven and, because of your relationship with Jesus, you have become a child of God, a member of his family. The creator of heaven and earth and everything in between, has made you a part of his treasured family. Wow! I pray that from now on that is the identity that comes to our minds first when we think about who we are – we are loved and and are a child of God.

Our second verse for today is Psalm 69:30:

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Just think, when you thank God, you are giving him glory. So let’s take a little time to meditate on today’s verses and thank God, in the precious name of Jesus, that we are his beloved children.

Did Jesus reveal anything special to you as you meditated on these two verses?

We considered some of our identities in the world. Now let’s consider some of our identities in Jesus. In Jesus we are:

Sons and daughters of the King. As we meditated on in the first verse, we are children of God. Jesus is the Lord of Lord and King of Kings. When we accept him as our savior, we become a part of his royal family. When you are in the world, you represent that royal family. Whatever status and possessions you have in this world, whether much or little, is nothing compared to what you will have in the royal kingdom. That is something worth remembering and being thankful for!

Saints. Being a saint doesn’t mean you are perfect or sinless. It means you are part of the household of God, which is made up of saints. Being a saint should mean we stay grateful and humble, repenting when we sin, and desiring to live a holy life.

Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and the household of God.”

Overcomers. In this life, we will have struggles, but Jesus tells us to take heart because he has overcome the world. And, because we have faith in Jesus, we, too, can be overcomers.

1 John 5:4  “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Warriors. We are part of the Lord’s army. It is easy to forget that we are always in a spiritual battle, but we are and we should prepare as warriors in the Lord’s army.

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Now let’s take some time now to thank Jesus for our identities.

You are now at the halfway point of your walk. If you need to be back in 10 minutes, this would be the time to turn around and head back.

Now I am going to pray for us:
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for making me a new creation. Thank you for forgiving my past, present and future sins. Thank you for giving me a new identity. Help me remember that when people in the world reject me because I identify myself as yours, it is really you they are rejecting. Jesus, forgive me when I place more value on my worldly identities than the identity you have given me. Help me have a heavenly perspective about who I am and who I belong to. Thank you, Jesus, for making me a part of your family and for walking with me always. Amen.

Here are some questions for you to consider:

What are some worldly labels or identities you have worn, present or past? How did they make you feel? Take some time to consider that now.

Have people ever hurt or rejected you because you are a follower of Jesus? How did that make you feel? Consider those feelings now.

Take some time to thank Jesus for your identity in him. Remember to thank him for all the benefits that come with your new identity.

Before we wrap up, listen again to today’s verses:

1 John 3:1:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Psalm 69:30:

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Is there anything else you would like to talk to Jesus about? Remember, he is right there with you, walking with you, and he is eager for you to share all that is on your heart and mind with him. Take some time to talk to and thank Jesus now.

Well, you did it, my friend! Another 10 minutes of walking with Jesus. Are you walking confidently in your identity as a child of God? How does it feel to wear a royal crown? Pretty good, right?

Thank you for taking the time to walk with me today! But more importantly, you walked with Jesus, the King of Kings!

For more Walk with Jesus resources, including the Walk with Jesus 21 day scripture, devotional, and guided prayer journal book for walkers, go to WalkwithJesusDevotional.com. The November edition focuses on gratitude and is a part of this podcast series. You will find the URL for this book and other resources in the podcast show notes.

I hope we can walk together again tomorrow, friend. In our next episode we will be thanking Jesus for your family. Until then, God bless you as you walk with Jesus.