Identity.

My identity in Christ is...

- I am utterly helpless, a sinner BUT dearly loved and saved. I am right in God's sight and have been reconciled to God through Christ. (Romans 5 v 5-11: "And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.")

- I have been freed from my sinful nature. I am an heir of God, a co-heir with Christ, adopted, loved by the Spirit of God, a child of God. I am not a slave to fear. I will be glorified with Christ and will share in His sufferings. (Romans 8 v 12-17: "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters,you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are childrenof God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.")

- I will be like Christ. I am born of God, lavished with love, righteous, purified, hopeful, confident and unashamed of Christ. (1 John 2 v 28 - 3 v 3: "And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.")

- I will live forever! (John 11 v 25-27: "Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.")

- I am called by God. I am united in the body, so I am not alone. The Spirit binds us together with peace. (Ephesians 4 v 1-6: "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.")

- I am ransomed, redeemed, crowned with everlasting joy, filled with gladness. (Isaiah 35 v 8-10: "And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there. Lions will not lurk along its course, nor any other ferocious beasts. There will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will walk on it. Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.")

- I am in partnership with God and other people. I am intimately known by God. I am an ambassador of God, telling Christ's message and not my own. I feel compelled to tell others about Jesus. I am a new creation. My sins are not counted against me. I have become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5 v 11 - 6 v 2: too long to write out but look it up!)

- I am chosen, holy, royal. I am God's treasured possession. I have been called into His wonderful light. I have received mercy. (1 Peter 2 v 9-10: "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”")

- I am loved by the Father and kept in the safe care of Jesus. (Jude 1v1: "I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.")

It is by God's grace and when my identity is found in Christ that I am these things! Amen!

PDA.

This is going to be a little off-topic compared to my normal posts, but as some of my friends know, this is something I feel strongly about so I thought I'd have a little rant about it on here.  I know as well that I'm very extreme with my views on this so please look at this light-heartedly and feel free to disagree! I also just want to say before I start, that I'm not just having these views as a single woman, but I felt just as strongly about this when I was in a relationship.

The issue: 
PDA (Public Displays of Affection)

I really feel (and I will definitely apply this in my own future relationship with a guy) that when a couple are coming together to meet friends, they have chosen to spend that time with their friends as well as each other. Therefore, sitting on each other's laps, kissing, holding hands, having their own private conversations - I just think that that is disgusting for everybody else to see and it's just massively inappropriate. I can understand, especially if the relationship is pretty new, that the couple may feel they want to always be touching each other or whatever; however, if they could just take a step-back for a minute and imagine what it's like for all the single people in the room, or the girls whose boyfriends are not there, to see their PDAs being rubbed in their faces and how they would feel about that. Unhelpful. And just a bit rude, really. I know that PDA couples don't mean to hurt other people but sometimes if they could just employ a bit of empathy, then they would avoid this altogether. Moreover, if the couple are glued together at the hip all the time, they are not developing their friendships with other people in the room - they are not giving up their time to solely listen to other friends. The group dynamics work out that the rest of the room refer to the couple that are sitting so close together that they look like one person as just that: one inseperable being. The individuals within this PDA couple are not being known for who they are. We all have seperate identities, we are all unique - I want to know both these people as individuals and not think of them as "oh that's just so-and-so's boyfriend/girlfriend". 

Of course, there are some times when PDAs are more appropriate than others. For example, if a couple was on a double date, or in a room full of couples, then that might be acceptable to hold hands or give the occasional quick kiss to my other half, but I still think I'd prefer to speak to all the members of the group and get to know them as individuals. Similarly, if I was meeting my boyfriend's friends for the first time, then I might appreciate sitting/standing next to him although I hope that I'd be able to seperate from him quickly and hold my own in the room, so that his friends could know me for who I am and not just think of me as just their mate's girlfriend. 

I recently went on a coastal walk along the South Devon coast from Lympstone Village to Topsham (it's beautiful if you're ever in the area). I was going to go with my two male friends, when at the last minute they both brought their girlfriends. I thought it'd be fine. And one of the couples in particular were really aware of how I might feel a bit of a fifth wheel and were good at allowing me to talk to them a bit. The other couple however... I didn't see them at all - it was like they were on their own private walk, even when I turned to try and talk to them they didn't make it easy to do that to do at all. I didn't get to know this friend's girlfriend at all because they only had eyes for each other. It was unbelievable. 

Anyway, I probably sound very angry in this post - sorry about that...I just feel strongly about this!