Weekly Musing - Pat

The Truth of Your Being -

“When the way of your being matches the truth of your being, you achieve wholeness, authenticity, and integration.” Wm. Paul Young.

So, what is the truth of our being? As I prepare to write this, a feeling of being called a heretic makes me afraid. BUT when Holy Spirit speaks, I will follow. And, besides I’ve already been labeled “heretic”.

1 Corinthians 13 - the “love chapter” is a well-known, much-used passage of Scripture. However, verses 4-8 are the central focus of the chapter. These verses are a word picture/description of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When reading the verses about, “Love is . . “ I was encouraged to replace “love” with God, then Jesus and the third time with Holy Spirit. It was intended to show more clearly the nature of our triune God. It did and still does.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” 1 Cor. 13:4-8 ESV.

BUT what if?

It is also the truth of our being? What if we are love? What if we were to replace “love” with our name? The first time I thought of it, I was astonished and awestruck, and admonished myself with “How could I ever think or speak those words about myself?” It felt like heresy to replace God’s name with mine. It still does. But what if it’s not? What if it is the truth of our being?

Maybe our response is to say “but” because we look at our behavior and it just doesn’t match up. We know we fail, fall short and we don’t see Jesus in us. What if we’re using the wrong mirror? Just because the way of our being does not yet match the truth of our being does not change the truth of our being. Doing does NOT, CANNOT and WILL NOT ever change our being! For one very important reason - Jesus Christ!

The truest thing about us is not what we think, do or say or what others think, do or say, but what God says about us. Let’s look at some of what He thinks and says about us.

Christ is in us and we are in Him. John 14:20.

We were given the very glory of Jesus Christ. John 17:22.

We are as loved by the Father as Christ is. John 17:23.

We are one with Him. John 17:23.

The power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us. Romans. 8:12.

We are co-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:17.

We were crucified, buried and resurrected to new life and enabled to live AS Christ. Gal. 2:20.

We are new creations. The old died, the new has come. 2 Cor. 5:17.

We are the righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21.

We are filled with the fullness of God. Eph. 3:19.

We are made perfect in His sight. Heb. 10:14.

We are His masterpiece created in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:10.

We were known before we were created. Jer. 1:5.

We were created by love, and loved before the creation of the world. Eph. 1:4.

We are chosen and holy. Eph.1:4.

We are without fault in His eyes. Eph.1:4.

For us to live is Christ. Phil. 1:21.

As Christ is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17.

This is only a small sampling of the truths of who we are in Christ. There are approximately 100 “in Christ” verses in the New Testament. I challenge you to find them and see more clearly who you are.

If the above is true and it is, is it too much to believe we are love and that 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes us? What would the world around us look like if we stepped into the truth that in this world we don’t just have love or give love, but that we ARE love? What if this what it means when Scripture tells us the earth is groaning for the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God? May we all allow this to be the truth of our being and see it become the way of our being; wholeness, authenticity, and integration!