The Difference between Our Identity and Character - and Why It Matters.

How do you find your identity? Is it in what you do? Whom you hang out with? Where you're from? A group you're a part of?

This woman had identity problems, but not like we think.

Ruth had a major problem - she was foreigner in Israel. Maybe that's too tame - she was an alien, and everyone she met knew that she wasn't an Israelite. In fact, they knew she was from Moab (which wasn't a good thing).

Her identity was assigned to her by her surroundings - in this case, Israel gave her the negative identity associated with Moabites.

Not as Naomi's daughter-in-law.

But as "Ruth, the Moabite."

However, her character was something different. So different, that people around town knew all about it. How could you not appreciate the character of someone who leaves everything they've ever known to follow their widowed mother-in-law to a country where she wasn't all that welcome??

Ruth's character valued TOTAL commitment. Something to admire? Absolutely. But our character should come from Christ.

Our identity is IN Christ - our character comes FROM Christ.

Question:

How has Christ changed your character? Click here here to share your answer with me.