In our digging for identity, we’ve discovered some priceless treasure!

1.) We were created for God’s pleasure (Rev. 4:11)

2.) God didn’t make a mistake when He made you.

3.) God has reclaimed you through Jesus- His creation- and is in the business of transforming you into His likeness

4.) He’s going to give you a new name

Today’s mother lode of treasure is this:

5.) Without Him we have nothing-

With Him, we are granted everything!

 To be truly alive, our identity must be found in Christ- who is the Savior- the Shepherd of our souls.

We need SomeOne to save us because we are utterly incapable of “fixing” ourselves and getting out of this fallen world by our own designs and plans!

Why do we need a Shepherd (someone to lead us and show us the way)?

 We are lost without His guidance.

We are hopelessly broken without His wholeness.

We are in darkness without His light.

We are in bondage without His freedom.

We are in turmoil without His peace.

We are captives to sin without His redemption.

We are sin-sick without His healing.

We are downtrodden without His joy.

We are poor in spirit without His treasure.

We are sinking without His lifting Hand.

We are shadow without His light!

We are empty without His satisfying presence.

We are hungry without His love.

We are confused without His truth!

We are cursed without His blessing.

We are weak without His strength.

We are dead without His new life.

We are condemned without His sacrifice.

We are stumbling without His promises.

We are sinners without His righteousness.

We are faithless without His mercy.

We are condemned without His grace.

We are like Adam and Eve, hiding in the Garden, knowing God is great and we are not.  He calls to us first, as He did to Adam- “Adam, where are you?”  He seeks us out- He calls- He searches- not because He doesn’t know where we are but because He wants us to know that He is taking the first move to restore our relationship with Him.  He wants the invitation to step into our lives and begin the restoration- taking our paint by number lives and turning them into His masterpiece.

Surprising Treasure: [Tweet ” He wants us – just as we are- to love us into becoming all we can be!”]