Be Content With Who You Are

Be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you, he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God, He is most careful with you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 The Message

Why is it so hard for us to be honest with who we are are the good, the bad, and the ugly?  Sometimes, "church" is where we put on the biggest front and then we wonder why people say that the church is full of hypocrites?  We men may be the greatest offenders in this area.  In the book Wild at Heart, John Eldridge calls this front that we put on "the poser."  People ask us, "How are you?" and we answer with spiritual language that hides the struggles of our lives.

So there is the problem... we all have done it.  How do we break free into honest living that is healthy for us and our relationships?  I think the key is in the first part of this verse, "Be content with who you are."  We all are not perfect, we make mistakes and we sin. But, we have been set free from the power of sin through Jesus death on the cross, we love Him, we hunger for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we are growing to be more like Jesus.  Along the way we have victories and defeats, joys and heartaches, strength and struggles.  

Let us be content with who we are and God's strong hand will be on us to promote us at the right time.  As we live in authenticity our relationships will grow and those that are hurting around us will be drawn to the power of Jesus that they can see at work in our lives.

Live under God's Strong Hand today,

Pastor Brian