Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.  1 Peter 1:21 (NLT)

Our culture places an inordinate amount of attention to the concept of self. We tend to focus on self-esteem, being self-aware, loving ourselves, and the list goes on and on. While there might be some value to placing the spotlight on self in these ways at the appropriate times and in moderation, most of the time we are looking in the wrong direction. The true identification of self is derived from a proper view of God. When I know who God is I can begin to define who I am. Not that I am God by any stretch of the imagination, but by placing my focus on Him I become more aware of exactly who I am and who I am not.

This is especially true when it comes to viewing ourselves as people of faith and looking toward our destiny as the children of God. Our future is not based in our self-confidence but in our confidence that God will come through on His promises to us. God has proven to us that He is reliable through the resurrection event. He has given us ample reason to trust in Him. In Christ’s resurrected body we find all the confidence we will ever need. God is still on the throne and He knows what He is doing. Yet this is much more difficult in reality than what we realize. Hudson Taylor once wrote, "It is not very difficult to think, and honestly though ignorantly say, ‘I give up all to Thee and for Thee.’ But God sometimes teaches one that that little word all is terribly comprehensive. Thank God He has left me much, very much; and above all, He never leaves us." When we say that we are "Christ’s", we identify ourselves as being a part of Jesus’ identity, and hence our own is (implied to be) completely forsaken. However, we are always drawn to enhance our own status, and to become "more"—as if we are able to capitalize on what Christ has already done for us. Even Jesus noted that it is more "blessed to give than to receive", for it is when we give our entire hope and trust over to the care, concern, and love of the Father that we receive true blessings from above. When "seek first His kingdom", everything else is supplied, one way or another. Community, we must be careful not to become program-filled, but rather Spirit filled. We must remember to not be humanitarian in our outreach, but soul-saving. We must put our entire hope in reaching those around us in the understanding that God wishes that all men would come to know Him, if only there are laborers to take that message. May we be like Isaiah, with hearts full of Trust, say, "here [we] are Lord, SEND US!"