We’ll finish this devotional series by looking at the blessings of walking in our new identity of love, both for others and for us. Let’s go back to the bank!

I said yesterday that without the knowledge of our new identity I would have handled the situation quite differently. Love would not have been displayed, neither love for God, my neighbour or myself. However, from the moment that I chose to walk in my true identity, the power of the Holy Spirit was released and I was empowered to remain patient towards the young lad and his granny, despite the enemy’s efforts to unsettle me. Not only that, my peaceful mood reassured granny that everything was fine and she was visibly relieved and thankful.

Now, I know that this was not a life or death situation. I wasn’t being held at gunpoint, and told to renounce Christ on pain of death, but that’s not the point.

Here is the point of all that we’ve been reading: If the gospel is not transforming us then the purpose of God’s will in the gospel is not being fulfilled in our lives and that would be a real tragedy. Putting what we’re learning into practice in ordinary, everyday situations such as this is precisely how we fulfil the purpose of God’s will in the gospel by growing into love and becoming like Him.

The blessings in this situation were many. Choosing to walk in the Spirit, I was able to see the transformation in my life. My old, sinner’s way of dealing with stuff often left me wondering if I loved God at all but here I was, loving Him through obedience, John 14:15.

Loving my neighbour as I loved myself would definitely not have been a blessing to them because, living out of my sinner’s identity, I didn’t even like myself most of the time, let alone love myself. Yet here I was, loving my neighbours in a way that was a blessing to them because I now see myself as God sees me, as a blood bought son, loved by Him. It’s who I am! And, hey, what’s not to love about that?

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NEWBOLD BAPTIST CHURCH