Every one of us has the need to feel loved, accepted, and secure. Unfortunately, we try to meet those deep needs in the wrong places. We seek identity, purpose, and security in what our hearts and society call success; status, beauty, financial wealth, relationships, the approval of others, and material possessions are examples of what we believe will make us happy. However, the happiness those things bring is short and temporary. They can only satisfy us briefly, leaving us longing for more. In our attempt to find identity, purpose, and security, we drive ourselves to work more than what is considered healthy, purchase items we rarely need, and try to impress people we might not even know. We often feel like running on a treadmill, running and running but not getting anywhere. We feel this way because those things are not designed to meet our deepest needs. Only God can do this. Blasé Pascal, a mathematician and philosopher from the 1600s, said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” God, in His grace, sent Jesus to do what we could not do for ourselves. He lived the perfect life we should have lived but couldn’t. Then, He died on the cross to receive the punishment we should have received because of our mistakes; He died in our place! But He didn’t stay dead; He resurrected from the dead to prove our sin and its consequence (eternal death) have been defeated; therefore, we have nothing to fear. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News that because of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, we can be confident we are loved by the Almighty God (Rom. 5:8), we have been accepted as His children (John 1:12), and nothing or no one can ever change this (Rom. 8:37-39). This Good News is not just our ticket to heaven but also the source from which we draw wisdom and power to live each day.
Because of what Jesus did for us, we can find our identity, purpose, and security in Him and not in what our flesh or the world tells us. That’s why Paul said these words in his letter to the Corinthians:
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
The word translated as “controls” can also be translated as “hold together.” Paul was trying to communicate that because of what we have received in Christ, we can be rooted in Christ and stand firm regardless of what may come. To know we are loved, accepted, and secure, we must meditate daily on the goodness of God and His promises. This week, you will be challenged to read Scriptures that will help you understand who you are in Christ and the purpose for which He created you. Pray God will help you find what you need most in Him.