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This blog is simply meant to bring God the glory; no more and no less. I'd love to hear from you! Comments, questions, conversation. rebecca.labriola@gmail.com

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Identity Crisis. Thursday, December 18. 2014.

It seems fair enough to say that John the Baptist probably never had an identity crisis.
When questioned about his identity,
he admitted that he wasn’t the Christ,
he wasn’t Elijah,
nor was he the Prophet.
He said his identity was found in this,
“I am the voice crying out in the desert make straight the way of the Lord.”

How easy would it have been for John to say that he was the Christ?
Or Elijah?
Or the Prophet?
Oh how he would have been revered!

But instead he is simply a sign on the road to Christ.
A middle man.
No one really exciting.

But he knew who he was.
He was given an identity and a mission.
He was to tell others of the coming of the Lord.

It didn’t really matter what others thought of him.
It just mattered that he completed the mission Christ set before him with grace.

What mission has Christ set before you?

There is more merit in completing a seemingly worthless mission
than there is in making your mission frivolous.
There is more merit in honesty
than there is in trying to cover up your mission.

Your true identity is in the Lord.
If we all believed this and lived as we believed,
there wouldn’t be such thing as an identity crisis.
We wouldn’t be worried about how we look to others,
if we are good enough,
if we are doing it right.
We would know that our identity and worth are found in Him
It matters not what others say or think.

John the Baptist knew who he was and what his mission was.
He was created in the image and likeness of God
so that he might tell the world of the coming of Christ.  

You were created in the image and likeness of God
for an incredible purpose.

What might that purpose be?

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Tenants. Thursday, December 11. 2014.

“Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.”
Matthew 9:8

I do not know when we each became so important that we own our own lives.
When did we decide that it is a choice to give,
that it is taking of our own time,
taking of our talents?
Things that are not even our own to begin with!

When did we become so greedy?
Lord, take time to remind us each day that nothing is our own.

We are Yours.
All we have is all You’ve given.
Not ours.
His.

Humble us into knowing that we are just renters.
Renting this body.
Renting this living space.
Renting these things.
Renting these feelings.
Renting this life.

At the end of the lease
all of that is gone.

All that remains are the things that we say or do in Him name.
And those things that we didn’t say or do in Him name.

Lord,
help us to be the best tenants that we can be while we are here. 

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

White Flag. Wednesday, December 3. 2014.

As a teacher,
I have quickly learned that victory is important to kids.
Every day I witness victory and defeat.
I see tears and angry marches when victory is not found.
I get to see the cutest victory dances when they are victorious.

They don’t like losing.
They don’t like giving up.
They don’t like defeat.
They want victory.

We are trained to win.
To be victorious.
To be right.
To be strong.

We don’t want to fail.
We don’t want to give up.
We don’t want to surrender.
That white flag means weakness.
It means we couldn’t do it.

We want to succeed at life.
To be victorious.
But sometimes it is a challenge.
Sometimes we feel defeated
and deflated.
We so badly want victory.
We want to succeed on our own.

I propose a counter concept.

Maybe that white flag of surrender means something more.

When life is too much.
When we can’t take it anymore.
When we are barely breathing.
There might actually be victory in surrender.

When we simply cannot do life on our own,
holding up that white flag,
surrendering to the Lord,
giving it all to Him,
that, dear friend,
is victory.

We live in a world that says victory is obtained
by doing everything on your own.
In Christ’s world,
we are victorious when we admit that we can do nothing on our own.

That white flag might mean surrender.
But in Christ’s eyes,
it also means victory.

Victory in Christ is far greater than any victory found in the world.

Choose victory in Christ.
Wave your white flag.
Surrender it all.

Be victorious.