A pastor's daughter wrote that she was grateful social media couldn't define her — that she could embrace her difference "as God intended." A settled identity has nothing to defend. So why are we, as believers, so quick to draw the sword in God's name? Like Peter in the garden, we strike to protect a Lord who never asked for it, and then watch Jesus heal the very person we wounded. John 10 draws a hard line: the thief takes life, the Shepherd gives His. This week's devotion asks the uncomfortable question.  In how we treat the people we disagree with, do we look like the Shepherd, or the thief doing his work in God's name? 

What was God feeling the moment you were baptized? Not watching from a distance, not tallying your failures — but genuinely, deeply moved. Before Jesus preached a single sermon or performed a single miracle, the Father's voice broke through the heavens with delight. If you've ever quietly wondered whether God merely tolerates you rather than celebrates you, today's devotion will challenge everything you assumed about where you stand with Him.

We all have a level of awareness of who we are, but we often choose a layer that does not reveal our authentic self.  Perhaps our authentic selves need a bit of work.  Today's devotion invites you to let go of worldly definitions we may identify with and embrace the eternal truth of who you are in Christ.  Be reminded that your worth is found not in what you do, but in who you belong to first and foremost.