Secure in Your Identity

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:15-16) 
 
We live in a time when people are very concerned about their image. They worry about who they are spending time with, what they are wearing, where they are living, and what other people think about them. Sadly, this is a trap many Christians fall into, where we care more about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. 
 
Thankfully, Jesus modeled perfectly what it means to be secure in who you are. During His earthly ministry, Jesus spent a lot of time with people who religious individuals looked down upon and ignored. He was very intentional about building relationships with “sinners.” He even went so far as to have dinner with tax collectors, the “lowest of the low” at the time. 
 
As Jesus spent time with these people, He didn’t care what other people thought of Him. He didn’t worry about how He would be perceived, or what people said about Him behind His back. He was more concerned about loving and ministering to those who were hurting and who were used to being overlooked.  
 
We would be wise to follow this example which our Lord Jesus set for us. When He gave His disciples the Great Commission before He ascended into heaven, Jesus instructed them to go and preach the Gospel to all nations! He didn’t say go and preach only to people exactly like you, or preach to people who make you look good or feel important. No, He commanded the disciples to spread His love and message to everyone on earth! Clearly, this same command applies to us today. 
 
Because we are children of God, our identity is secure. It has nothing to do with who we associate with or how we appear. The sooner we stop placing our identity on earthly things, the more secure we will become. As a result, we will be more effective in loving and witnessing to others.