Let Jesus Tell You Who You Really Are

“Now I’m going to tell you who you…really are.” Matthew 16:17 MSG

Peter the apostle started out as Peter the fisherman. His father owned a fleet of fishing boats, and Peter probably thought that one day he’d end up running the family business when his dad was gone. But when the Lord has a plan for your life, He will come looking for you! Think about this fascinating interaction between Jesus and Peter: “He pressed them, ‘And how about you? Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter said, ‘You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus came back, ‘God bless you, Simon…You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven…let you in on this…now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are’” (vv. 15-18 MSG). There’s an important lesson here. When you discover who Jesus is and what He has done for you, you discover who you are and what He has called you to do for Him. There’s a lot more to life than working forty hours a week for forty years, retiring with a gold watch, drawing a pension, and playing with your grandkids. Just as surely as your DNA differs from every other person’s on the planet, so does your individual destiny. But to understand and fulfill it, “you must be born again” (John 3:7 NKJV). Jesus said at the grave of Lazarus, “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). And the One who raised Lazarus from the dead can bring you to life spiritually too. Seek Him and He will also “tell you who you…really are.”

Bible in a year: Isaiah 14-16 and Galatians 4