Being Content with Who I Am

It's been a pleasure recently to really dig deep when it comes to the book of Acts, because this is a really exciting narrative. This is the origins of the church. The first things going on after the ascension of Christ. It's because of this story that you and me are probably even Christians. This is how the Church continued and how the Way aka Christianity remained for centuries. It all starts here! That's exciting!

And it all feels so real, so believable, because I can look at my own life and think of people kind of like Peter, a bit like a Paul, or a Stephen, a Philip, a Barnabas, an Ananias, a Timothy, or even an Apollos. So maybe we don't know a ton about all of these guys, but they all had a part in spreading the Gospel and that's the bottom line. Still, I go even further and look at myself to see who I am most like.

If I know myself, I know I don't have the boldness or verbal tenacity of Peter. I didn't have some life-changing spiritual shift like Paul. I lack the boldness of of Apollo or even the boldness of Stephen who condemned those around him even as he asked the Lord to forgive them while they stoned him. And for that matter, I have yet to be and I hope I will not be a true martyr.

That does not mean not dying to yourself and I am continually trying to do that and push forward in that living a sacrificial life putting others before myself and really reflecting a life that is continually abiding and relying on God. That is one of my attributes. I am a loyal and faithful individual whether that means as a friend or a leader. And in truth, I fail even in that at times, but I look at a person even like Ananias and I really resonate with him. He's not some huge, memorable, biblical titan like Peter or Paul, but he was faithful to the Lord and he trusted in Him alone. He was prepared to welcome Paul into the family and he followed the Lord's lead.

Then there's Philip. If it is the same Philip, then he like Stephen had a pretty humble position. He was supposed to distribute the resources and make sure the widows had what they needed. And yet it was this person that God used to reach others. Whereas Stephen gave this remarkably stirring speech to the hardened Israelites, Philip was actually one of those who went out in the wake of the persecution of the church. And on the road he met the Ethiopian eunuch who was trying to comprehend the scriptures. It was Philip who was in the right place that moment as God had ordained and he gently guided the eunuch so that he could better understand the scripture. I doubt that Philip was as learned as Saul and others, but still the Lord used him as he can use me despite my inadequacy and ignorance in some respects.

Thus, I will remain content in that, because all the Lord is asking for is a willingness to serve and He can do the rest through me. In other words, I don't have to worry about who I am, all I need to do is focus on I AM. That is enough.