Be true to yourself – through Christ

We are told today to “be true to yourself.”  Yet this is never the counsel of Jesus.  In preparing to preach through this for Sunday, I looked for a guide to “be true to yourself.”  And what I found is that there are so many of these guides.  One of them gives a six-step process which, as I read through it, found myself in agreement.  The six steps are:  learn from the people you admire, let go of things that are no longer serving you, solidify your identity, trust your intuition, do what is best for you, and be intentional. 

I can agree with all six of these.  However, my starting point results in a different destination.  The article I found begins with the focus on being honest with yourself about who you are — who you want to be.  My starting place is with honesty; I am honestly broken and in need of change, forgiveness and acceptance by the God who created me.  When this is your starting point, the lens through which you look at each of these steps, your destination will be a life that has joy, contentment and fulfilling the purpose we were created. Follow me through the steps.

Learn from the people I admire.  The people who live surrendered and are obedient to God.  And most of all following the example and commands of Jesus who I more than admire, but love.  Let go of things that are no longer serving you.  The things I chased before that left me with guilt and shame need to be cast aside, and I need to embrace those things that bring joy and contentment.  Solidify your identity.  My identity is now found in Christ, not in pursuing pleasure and desires.  My identity is who and what God created me to be.  Trust your intuition.  What leads me is no longer little voices, but the Holy Spirit of God and the principles of Scripture that always have my best in mind.  Do what is best for you.  All my life before Christ was filled with regret because even when I got what I thought I wanted, I found myself wanting something else — not satisfied with what I had been striving to get.  Now I know that when I follow the Lord, I will find the very best for me in relationships, situations and the future.  Be intentional.  Following Christ requires obedience, which is an intentional decision to follow, rather than to lead the way.  Following Christ is an upstream journey that requires intentional effort to move against the tides of culture and the world.  To stop being intentional is to float downstream along with the world and culture.  Sharing with people who need to hear about Jesus is an intentional act.  Actually loving others as Christ does is an intentional act.  

Galatians 2:20 tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” So I guess I am “being true to myself,” for Christ lives in me.  What about you?

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor