This week we will examine Chapters 16-20 (pp 143-186) of You Who? Why You Matter and How to Deal With it, by Rachel Jankovic.

How does knowing that God does not change (Hebrews 13:8) affect how we see the different seasons of our lives? Where should our focus actually be?

“We cannot know the limits of our God, because there are none. We can rest–rest–in Him no matter the uncertainty of our own circumstances.” (p148)

Read: Philippians 1, and notice verse 6. Is that declaration “static” or is there a process?

Personality tests can be helpful, but nothing can replace obedience to God. Nothing. Can you think of some examples in Scripture of people who obeyed God in spite of it not being in their “personality?” I’ll start:

Moses stuttered and was insecure from his past failures. God called him to lead Israel out of slavery, and into the Promised Land.

Have you considered that obedience to God can actually change aspects of your personality? Notice we are not speaking of DNA traits (eye color, dominant hand), but of leanings, tendencies — short-tempered, shyness, depression, critical, etc. Whom or what do we worship? Do I put qualifiers on obedience? “The great temptation is to start categorizing yourself outside of Him. . .” (p.159)

Romans 6:15-18 ESV – 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

And let’s not forget the whole “princess mentality” . . . what does the Bible say are the “rights and responsibilities” of a “daughter of the King?” Read 1 Peter 2 and note the “so that” of being royalty . . .

From princesses . . . to monkeys . . .and Jeremiah 17:9, 10. What is the inherent failure in “follow your heart?”

“But Christians should be far more inclined to view our feelings like a bunch of monkeys that we are responsible to keep in cages, train, and disregard completely when they are acting up.” (p181)

2 Corinthians  10:5; Proverbs 3:5-7

This may seem a bit scattered: rather than a long editorial, I am just trying to get a conversation started. What impressed you in these chapters?

The “epic hero”-type of stories are exciting. Fighting against incredible odds, extreme sacrifice, “giving all for the greater good.” Those characters matter. . .

But what is true biblical obedience, and how does that fit in with our identity?

“Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person’s seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

“Don’t bother to give God instructions, just report for duty.” — Corrie ten Boom

“There have been times of late when I have had to hold on to one text with all my might: “It is required in stewards that a man may be found faithful.” Praise God, it does not say “successful.”
― Amy Wilson-Carmichael 

Do what the Lord bids you, where he bids you, as he bids you, as long as he bids you, and do it at once.  C.H. Spurgeon

“Choices will continually be necessary and — let us not forget — possible. Obedience to God is always possible. It is a deadly error to fall into the notion that when feelings are extremely strong we can do nothing but act on them.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

As we read chapters 11-15 (pp. 95-142) of You Who? Why You Matter and How to Deal With it, by Rachel Jankovic, be reminded that biblical obedience is not always a David fighting Goliath, or Joshua at Jericho.

“We don’t have to set out to change the world. We set out to obey the Lord, and even the simplest actions can leave glorious marks of obedience forever.” (p 104)

“When we embrace the fact that obedience now is always the calling of a Christian, we find that we have more than enough to do. . .Read the Word. Obey the Word. Obey it now. Obey it again. (p 113)

“When we faithfully worship the Living God, what do we become like? We become more like Him. . .” (p 124)

“Because we are made in the image of God, it is not difficult to see that increasing in our knowledge of Him is increasing in our understanding of ourselves. . .Obey God to be yourself. Worship God to find yourself. . .” (p. 125)

“The world’s effort to catechize us into believing in ourselves has caused much of our current identity crisis . . .” (p 139)

To read: Psalm 100; Psalm 115; Philippians (notice what Paul says about his purpose, his calling).

“God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him.” ― Hudson Taylor

“It is always helpful to us to fix our attention on the God-ward aspect of Christian work; to realize that the work of God does not mean so much man’s work for God, as God’s own work through man.”
― James Hudson Taylor, 

“So. . . whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

I would love to hear your thoughts on how our obedience to Christ shapes our identity. How does obedience affect contentment?