4:53 – Your Identity is Given, What’s Next?

#faithbites #faithjourney next

Setting

You are made worthy through God. You are a chosen child of God. The question is what’s next? I know that God loves me and has chosen me, but how do I move forward? I’ve always wondered if I’m following his word and his path. As Christians, it is easy to know who God is and what he wants us to do. It is much harder to turn that into action and live in his word.

I find myself slacking or just not doing things that I should be to help people out. My anger and frustration often gets the better of me. I also find myself just being frustrated with people in general.

Today’s questions: What is next for you? How do you move forward now that you are a child of God?

Scripture

• James 2:!4-17 – ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[a] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
• 1 John 3:18 – Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
• Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Reflection

This may be one of the hardest #faithbites as it’s easy to say we love God and are “good Christians”. It is much harder to say what are we doing for others? It’s not that we do it to earn salvation as that is something given to us but we do it as we want to share the love of Christ. There are two parts to this. The first is how to do help others and the second is how do we find our path forward.

Our James and 1 John scriptures show us that having our faith and identity isn’t even, we need to do for others. Our job is to help others in any way we can.; The second piece, see in Mark, is that if we ask for it, we will be given it. This is where I, and others, may not be sure of what’s next. What should I be doing for my career, for my family, and for others. Makr says to pray and ask and it will be given.

In a nutshell, as with every #faithbites, what’s next is prayer. We have to talk to God, ask him for what is on our hearts, and then act on it even if it is scary or hard. I don’t have any answers except to ask God and follow his word. Often don’t know what I want to do or be when I grow up. I do know that what is next is following Christ and trying to act.

As we close, what will you do next to be a better servant of Christ? Turn your faith into action.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for giving us our identity and making us worthy. It is hard for us to accept our identity and then when we do, what do we do next? We ask for your guidance in how to take that identity and use it as best we can. We need your help and direction as we serve you as best as we can. Thank you for forgiving us when we fall down and get stuck. Your love will always help us move forward as your child. We pray this in your name, Amen.