“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” — 1 Peter 2: 9-10
Defining Our Identity
If you look in the NCAA record book, there are two national champions listed for the 2017 college football season: Alabama and Central Florida. The Knights were included because they finished first in a computer rankings system called the Colley Matrix. Despite a 12-0 record, UCF was left out of the College Football Playoff, but that didn’t stop the school and its fans from creating national championship apparel following its win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. The team’s official Twitter account even includes a 2017 national championship as part of its bio.
UCF could have listened to the selection committee and everyone else saying it didn’t deserve a spot in the playoff. Instead, the Knights choose to celebrate their incredible season.
So often in life, we have society telling us one thing and the Bible telling us another. There is a decision to make in those moments, because both can’t always be true. The world says our identity is found in things like our job, how much money we have and physical appearance.
God says we are His children, special possessions He treasures and loves dearly. He promises a future for us that is more marvelous than anything we can begin to imagine. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God showed He will do anything for His children.
If we really believe those things, then our identity is found in our relationship with Him and only Him. The more we can remind ourselves of that, the more joyful and hopeful we can be.
— Joshua Doering
If you would like to submit a reader devotional, please email all submissions to jason@sportsspectrum.com.
