I want you to think about this question. Who are you?
Who are you?
When someone asks you to introduce yourself, what do you say? In those short little spaces where we have an “about me” section on a website or on Facebook, what do you prioritize into those limited character fields? In general we would initially give our names, but in a culture where names are just labels and don’t necessarily convey any meaning, this doesn’t really tell someone “who” you are.
This is an unsatisfactory answer when someone wants to get to know you, so a question that typically comes next is “Where do you work?” Think about your own answer to this question. We live in a society that glorifies having a good job with a high pay grade, and our answer to this question will generally be what we do as an occupation, our way of making a living. A job title may tell someone what you are good at or provide them with a better understanding of your skillsets. “That’s Nate and he works at SpaceX.” But that isn’t “who” he is!
So, how do you define yourself? Who are you?
Do you say who you are related to or what your religious preferences are? Do you tell people how you like to spend your time, show off your latest hobby, or point them to the latest and greatest gadget, phone, boat, or other purchase you have made? Should we let the world define us? If the police were looking for me, they would be giving my physical traits and maybe what car I drive. But that doesn’t tell others who I am because I can change my looks and my vehicle if I wanted to.
We have a hard time answering this simple little question don’t we? Who are you?
I would like to suggest to you today that “who you are” is defined by “what you do”. And as mentioned previously, I don’t mean what you do for a living. I mean how do you spend your free time? What activities do you prioritize in your waking hours but non-working? What do you do when no one is watching?
This is most easily seen in the way other people introduce us. Very often instead of just saying our names and titles, a person will tack on a sentence about what we do. “This is Rebecca, she is our finance officer and keeps this place running in the black.” We also see this at funerals and in eulogies. When we read an obituary we get to learn about all the amazing things a person did with their life. We don’t just list their name, birth, and death dates. We remember people by their actions. And we judge people by their actions.
There is a spiritual truth here. Our God is a living and active God. We relate to him through his actions towards us.
God created
God walked in the garden
God clothed Adam and Eve
Got talked to Moses and the prophets and others
God came down
God saved
God forgave
The very name he gives himself is a state of being – I AM. As in, I have always been and will always continue to be.
As his children and ambassadors to the world, God calls us to be people of action as well. We can’t just say “I’m Rebecca and I’m a Christian”. People are too smart for that. I have to follow up and prove it by the way I live.
I have to reach out, I have to share, . . . forgive, . . . love.
James takes this concept a step further in chapter 2 starting at verse 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
We chose the name Active Love for our church because we wanted to constantly remind ourselves that it isn’t enough just to say we love people. Words are cheap. We could shout it from the rooftops and take out billboards, we could tell each other each week in our small group and put it on our social media account, but people won’t believe us until we show it. We have to be active, we have to seek out the hurting and the needy, we have to offer to help, we have to be willing to do something for someone else when we would rather take a nap. We have to be available.
I’m going to leave you with this challenge.
Do you know who you are?
Do others know who you are?
God created you for special works. Walk in the spirit and I promise he will show you what you should be doing.
