Recently, I heard or read somewhere that we need to base our value on Christ, and not on our circumstances. They said that value is not in who you are; instead, value is found in whose you are. This text was based on 1 Peter 2:9, which says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”.
This struck me. This is something we do not often think about. It is definitely something we need to hear, especially in this time of quarantine. We are the possession of God. We are chosen by Him. This is who we are more than anything else in this world.
A lot of people have lost jobs because of Covid-19 and are struggling to come to terms with that. Many people ask themselves the question of what their purpose is in life if not to work and provide at the moment. Your job is only a part of your identity. Belonging to Christ and being chosen by God is the most important part of your identity; which means that it trumps your identity found in your job.
Everything in life changes. We do not know if we will keep the same job forever, we do not know how long we will be able to keep certain freedoms, we do not know if we will find a spouse, we do not know if the person we are dating will be the one, or if we will lose a spouse or children throughout our life. The one thing that we can remain certain of is that our identity in God and Christ will never change.
Knowing this truth about our identity should change our outlook on life. Anything can happen in our lives and yet we always belong to God. We should use this knowledge to thank God and remember Him in all that we do and say. Perhaps this pandemic is just the opportunity we need to grow closer to God.
We are a chosen people called to praise God. This is the most important thing in our life. God calls us beloved so many times in the Bible. Beloved means “dearly loved.” He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in order to save us, His chosen, loved ones.
We are His beloved. We are His chosen people. We are His children. This is our identity. Let us praise God for this truth, for making us who we are, for making us His.
Brittany Bylsma
Young Calvinists 