In today's chapel message, Chris Cross began by sharing his testimony. Cross grew up in a difficult family environment, and he spent the first 20 years of his life searching for approval in relationships, athletics, alcohol, and anything else that he thought might fill his need for love. In his first year of college, God blessed him with a roommate, Brian, who loved Jesus and wanted Cross to have a relationship with Him, too. Because of Brian’s faithfulness, he accepted Christ his sophomore year.

We are all looking for identity, purpose, and value, and it’s easy to try to find that identity in things that don’t matter. We need to realize that our identity rests not in our past mistakes or in our present circumstances but in our relationship with Jesus and our daily walk with Him.

What do you want to be known as? In 1 Corinthians 4:1–5, we find that we are to be known as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Both of these roles are ones of humility and responsibility.

A Biblical Servant

We should consider who we are serving and how we are serving. The Bible tells us we should be serving Christ.

Life can be hard. Cross and his family experienced hardship through his wife’s cancer diagnosis. When we face terrible things like that, it’s easy to have a bad attitude, but no matter our current situation, we need to remember that we are serving Christ, not ourselves.

A biblical servant seeks to serve and looks for opportunities to do so. He or she doesn’t wait for recognition or a title and is faithful even in the small things. We should humbly do things we don’t like to do, even if there’s nothing in it for us.

A Biblical Steward

As stewards, we are to manage what is God’s, recognizing that we are not entitled to what we have; we are entrusted with it. A steward takes what he or she is given from God — money, relationships, and everything else — manages it, hones it, and gives it back to God. We are to use our gifts to draw ourselves and others to Christ. The measuring stick for the steward is faithfulness, not perfection.

We are approval addicts, constantly worrying about what others will think of us and believing that people would hate us if they knew who we really are. We need to realize that our identity lies not in our past mistakes; it’s in Jesus and what He did to change our lives. In verses 3–4, Paul says that God’s judgment of him is all that matters, not other people’s judgment or even his judgment of himself. In verse 5, he goes on to say that God will disclose the purposes of our hearts, from Him will we receive our commendation. That’s what truly counts.