Understanding the Kingdom: Who are you?

“An army of sheep led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.”

Your understanding of who you are is what will determine what you will dare in life because your identity is your strength in battle. The Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist who he was. He did not fail to confess but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah? Are you the prophet? To which John answered “No”. Finally, they said,” Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet,” I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness; make straight the way of the Lord.” John made a discovery of his identity from the mirror of the word of God. If we are going to discover who we are, then we need to find out where it is written concerning us in the word of God. Even Jesus had to search the scriptures and find out where it is written about Him:” Lo, I come in the volume of the book that is written about me to thy will, O God.”

You are not junk.

There are many people who are being passed by because others don’t see what is in them, but God has shown us what is in us: a wealth of potential. They say Michelangelo used to walk around a block of marble for days, just walking around it, talking to himself. First, he would see things in the rock, and then he would go and take them out.

The word of God depicts insights like that of a sculptor. That when the world dumps and rejects you, God walks along and picks you up. He looks deep within you and sees a person of great worth. So don’t let anybody throw you away, because you are not junk. When God looks at you, He sees things that everybody ignores. See the following beautiful story:

The brilliant summer sun poured its liquid heat on the windswept island of the Caribbean paradise as the old village sculptor made his way to his humble home outside the village centre. On his way he passed by the great white mansion of the plantation owner who, with his field workers, was felling one of the age-old trees that for generations had provided protection from the scorching sun.

The old sculptor suddenly stopped and, with a twinkle in his eyes, called over the wall with a note of interest, “What will you do with those discarded stumps of wood?” The owner replied, “These are good for nothing but firewood. I have no use for this junk.”

The old sculptor begged for a piece of the “junk” wood and with care lifted the knotted tree trunk to his shoulders. With a smile of gratitude, he staggered into the distance carrying his burdensome treasure. After entering his cottage, the old man placed the jagged piece of tree in the centre of the floor. Then, in a seemingly mysterious and ceremonious manner, he walked around what the plantation owner had called “useless junk”. As the old man picked up his hammer and chisel, a strange smile pierced his leathered face. Attacking the wood, he worked as though under a mandate to set something free from the gnarled, weathered trunk.

The following morning, the sun found the sculptor asleep on the floor of his cottage, clutching a beautifully sculptured bird. He had freed the bird from the bondage of the junk wood. Later he placed the bird on the railing of his front porch and forgot it.

Weeks later, the plantation owner came by to visit. When he saw the bird, he asked to buy it—offering whatever price the sculptor might name. Satisfied that he had made an excellent bargain, the gentleman walked away, hugging to his breast with great pride the newly acquired treasure. The old sculptor, sitting on the steps of his simple cottage, counted his spoils and thought, “Junk is in the eyes of the beholder. Some look, but others see.”

Today there are many individuals whose lives are like the old tree. Trapped within them is a beautiful bird of potential that may never fly. Society, like the plantation owner, sees nothing in them but a useless, worthless person on his way to the garbage heap of life. But we must remember that one man’s junk is another man’s jewel.

You are worth so much that Jesus went to Calvary to salvage and reclaim you. The spirit of God connected to your spirit is the only true judge of your worth. Don’t accept the opinions of others because they don’t see what God sees.

God looked and saw.

God looked at Adam and saw a world. He looked at Abraham and saw nations. In Jacob, a deceiver, He saw a Messiah. In Moses the murderer, God saw a deliverer. God saw a king in a shepherd boy. God sees things deep within you that others can’t see. They look at you and see a nobody; God looks at you and sees a worthwhile somebody. You may spend your whole life competing with others trying to prove that you are somebody and still feel like nobody. Be free from that today! You do not have to live with that any longer. You don’t have to try to be somebody, because you are somebody.

Sources: Understanding your Potential. {Dr Myles Munroe}