I love M&Ms. I recently bought a bag of M&Ms. They were all different on the outside but, on the inside, they were filled with rich and delicious chocolate. Yummmm!
We live in an M&M world. God created and designed every M&M since Adam and Eve. On the outside, we are all different -- no two people who have ever lived have exactly the same fingerprints, or the same voiceprints, or the same earlobes. On the outside, we differ according to the color of our skin, our gender, our nationality, our language and even our religious beliefs. God, however, does not judge us according to our outward identity; God judges us by what's inside of us. So, if our main "identity" is based on skin color, gender, nationality, language or any other outward appearance -- our "identity" is practically worthless! God doesn't really care about what's on the outside; He is most concerned about what's on the inside!
When God created the first M&Ms (Adam and Eve), God filled them with holiness, goodness, God-like love, a desire for righteousness and truth, and compassion for others. Adam and Eve enjoyed God's companionship; they had reverence for God and had respect for His authority and rule; they obeyed His commands; they found satisfaction in working with God in Eden. God supplied them with all they needed, watched over them with loving care, and protected them from harm.
Then, Satan tempted them to sin and their lives became empty. Satan replaced the good rich chocolate on the inside with things that were toxic -- both to the person and to anyone with whom they came into contact -- toxic selfishness, greed, lust, pride, jealousy, hatred and anger, and these things killed all the holiness and goodness, the desire for truth, reverence for God and respect for life. And because people were emptied of godliness, they sought their "identity" in their outward appearance, knowing that God would never approve of what was inside them.
I identify myself outwardly as a sinner, struggling against selfishness, greed, lust, pride, jealousy, hatred and anger. I identify myself outwardly as a sinner whom God has forgiven of every toxic sin, has cleansed of every stain, has given a clean "bill of health," and has accepted into His Holy Kingdom. My true identity, however, is much more. I'm a unique creation of a loving God; I'm a child of the King of kings; I'm an heir to all the riches of heaven and earth. That's my real "identity" and no one can steal that identity from me or destroy it in any way. Praise be to God!
It's not what's on the outside that counts -- God will judge us all by what's on the inside!
Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 09/12/2019