TUESDAY: WHO AM I, AND WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

Sep 13, 2022
2 min read

Lord, today I am struggling to find out who I am and what You want me to do. Please help me discover my identity and purpose in You today.

Jeremiah 29:7-9

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

The interesting thing about the word prosperity is that the root word is peace. It’s no wonder God tied these two words together when describing His intended outcomes for the exiles. If I have peace in my heart, then I am prospering in God’s Kingdom.

Amid the encouragement of what to do in this exiled land are also instructions on what not to do. Don’t be deceived is a call to not let the culture of the exiled land envelope me and steal my heart away. Since I’m a citizen of heaven, I’m an exile in this world. If I don’t act like a citizen of heaven, people will mistake me for a citizen of this world.

The people who are of the world are telling me I need to act like the world and are not telling me the truth. They indicate that I need to do certain things because everyone else is doing them, while in truth the Lord calls me to be different and separate and to follow Him.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: People around me are living by the world’s standards. I am bombarded by these same standards as I watch television, listen to the news, and read comments on social media.

To my detriment, I encourage the world to have dreams when I ask people of the world for advice. I ask them to help me discover my identity and my purpose. They will tell me my identity is to be like them, and my purpose is to act like them.

That’s simply not true. My identity needs to be in the Lord, and my purpose should be rooted in what He calls me to do. No wonder so many people have trouble living in this world! I am among those who might be suffering from an identity crisis and a crisis of purpose!

In order to be transformed by God, I must keep my focus on Him. As soon as I take my focus off Him, I become overwhelmed by the patterns of this world. When that happens, I question my identity and lose focus of my purpose. Lord, help me stay focused on You! Let my heart be transformed, so I constantly listen and respond to You.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman