In yesterday’s devotional, I told you about a formula which is used by pastor Jay Strother:

Jesus + ___________ = a false gospel.*

If we add anything to what Jesus has accomplished for us, we are diminishing his achievement. That’s what Strother’s formula is meant to show. We are made right with God based on what Jesus has done for us, not on what Jesus has done for us plus a bunch of other stuff.

Today I’d like to encourage you by slightly nuancing his formula. If we find our sense of identity or purpose in things that are not from Jesus, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. 

First, popularity.

‘Sure, I believe in Jesus,’ we might say. But if (when we’re being honest) we find our identity or purpose in what others think about us, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. People-pleasing before God-pleasing is a no-win, soul-sucking game of defeat.

Second, achievement.

‘Sure, I believe in Jesus,’ we might say. But if (when we’re being honest) we find our identity or purpose in how much we have (or haven’t) achieved, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Third, looks.

‘Sure, I believe in Jesus,’ we might say. But if (when we’re being honest), we find our identity or purpose in how we look (or don’t look), we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Here’s today’s key question: Do you trust in the sufficiency of Jesus, or is your sense of identity or purpose connected to something or someone else?

Paul’s identity and purpose was firmly rooted in Jesus: “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

We too can live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us.

When you are at school or work, and when you are with your family and friends, you continue to be in Christ — worthy and wonderful, hopeful and helpful. 

When you are tempted to compare yourself to others, and when you ponder what you have or haven’t accomplished, you continue to be in Christ — worthy and wonderful, hopeful and helpful.

When you look in the mirror in those honest quiet moments, you continue to be in Christ — worthy and wonderful, hopeful and helpful.

Spiritual anxiety is a deep and often unspoken angst that you need to be perfect because Jesus is not. ‘The good news can’t really be that good, can it?’ Yes, it can. And it is.

Today, locate your identity and purpose in Christ. And be at peace.

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Notes and extra content:

—New post and podcast: “Are Old Testament Laws Still Relevant for Christians?” This is a question that was submitted to me in a Q & A Forum. Click here to listen to or read my answer. You can also find it on ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan’ wherever you subscribe to podcasts.

–*As quoted in: Alisa Childers, Another Gospel? A lifelong Christian seeks truth in response to Progressive Christianity (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2020), 104.

–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and resumes on May 6, 2024.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.