How to Find Out Who You Are
Last week my grandmother had a birthday. I called her to talk awhile as I could not easily visit. She lives about 7 hours away from us by car. We had sent a floral arrangement to her along with a gift and as we talked, as always, she was gracious and thankful. Then she mentioned something to me that has been on my mind ever since.
She said that her son (my uncle) and his wife had bought her a new Bible she had been wanting. She said it had her name on the front, printed in gold, “Just in case she forgot who she was.” She joked that she was glad to have a book with her name on it, just in case she couldn’t remember her name. She said that now in her old age she could just look down at her Bible and remind herself who she was!
In many ways, my grandmother stumbled upon something in her funny comment that expressed a great truth. I’m sure the world wonders why Christians are so adamant about worship attendance and about prayer and Bible study. They may ponder, as we have our youth day and gospel meeting this week – why those church people want to be down there at their building getting together every night! Is Christianity so involved? Does it take that much commitment and dedication? I believe without a doubt that the answer to those questions is a resounding “Yes!”
When the Lord spoke of discipleship he constantly discussed its costly nature. He said, “If any would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY (emphasis mine), and follow after me” (Luke 9:23). We would note that Jesus said being his disciple involves self-denial, a 24/7 commitment, and willingness to suffer and sacrifice.
We might add, as we look at the example of the New Testament church, that they met not only every Sunday to worship and partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2) – but that they met daily with one another and from house to house (Acts 2:42-47). They did these things not only because they wanted to honor God and live obediently, but because once they had made the decision to become people of God, that’s exactly what they decided to spend the majority of their time doing.
As we live the Christian life in this transient and busy world, there is a real danger in forgetting who we are. Just this past Sunday night, two of the three individuals who came forward requesting prayers admitted that their reason for publicly repenting was due to the fact that they had gotten off track in their walk with God. James 1 speaks of the man who looks into the word but then goes away and forgets what kind of man he is. He continues, “But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).
The Bible will help the Christian to remember who they are. But I also believe it is here to help every person find out who they are! If you want to know why you are here and what your purpose is – look no further than the words that come from the mouth of the One who has created all things!
My grandmother is not the only person who needs to look into her Bible to remind herself of who she is. As we age, we all need to look to our Bibles. And I believe we can all do that with great success, whether our name is printed on the cover in gold letters or not.
“I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.” – Psalm 119:93
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AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum
