Belonging. No matter where you’re from, how you were raised, what your story is, we all have one thing in common, we all share the very basic human need – the need to belong.
Belong: to be accepted and liked.
When you really think about it, our need to belong is not necessarily rational, but it is a constant that exists across all people, in all cultures. When we feel like we belong, we feel connected and we feel safe, so we crave the feeling, and we seek it out.
Sometimes our desire to feel accepted is so powerful that we will go to great lengths, do irrational things and often even spend more than we can afford (and not just financially, but emotionally and spiritually as well) just to get the feeling of belonging.
The tough question of the day is, where does your acceptance come from? Does it come from your social status? From your appearance? From how much is in your bank account? Don’t get me wrong, all those things are good, however, when they become our identity, that is when problems arise.
When “things” become our identity, our identity hinges on our performance of those “things”. This is the world’s system of judging identity. Essentially what the world says is “prove to me, by your performance, that you belong.” This mindset of performance to prove our worth is how Satan gets a foothold in our lives, and essentially robs us of the God-given identity Christ came to establish in us.
See, in the Kingdom of God, our acceptance and identity are not measured by our performance, but by the finished work of Jesus. We are accepted because Jesus did all the work. We find our acceptance, our belonging, and our very identity IN HIM. Ephesians says it best:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…to the praise and glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3,6 (NKJV; paraphrase added)
Wow, what an powerful revelation! The Father has blessed us in Christ!
Bless: to confer prosperity and happiness upon.
But not only has the Father showered prosperity and happiness upon us, He has accepted us, in Christ. What an incredible truth. We are blessed and accepted by God, through Christ! I’m telling you, take this in, it will change your life. Your identity does not hinge on your performance, it is established through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus did all the work through his death, burial and resurrection, and now the pressure of performance is off of us.
You no longer have to strive to belong! You no longer have to perform to belong! You already belong! You are accepted in the “beloved”, or the “very dearly loved”, through Christ. As a very dearly loved child of God, your identity is one of:
- promise
- hope
- life
- belonging to the Heavenly Father, as His child.
Look at what Ephesians says:
“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here…God is building a home….with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (MSG; paraphrase added)
You belong here! You are no longer an exile, or an outsider. You belong to the body of Christ, to the church that God is building. You belong here!
You don’t need to prove that you belong, Jesus already gave you access! Your response is to act like you belong! Don’t be a stranger in your own house!
This week, live a life of belonging. Stand on the identity that God gives us through Christ. Be hopeful, Be full of life, Be full of promise…. YOU BELONG HERE!
Live extraordinarily!
Jared
