"Because He Said So! Discovering who the I AM says I am"

The I AM says I am wealthy!

“So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Galatians 4:7

I love a good talk show. A few years ago, I saw one that featured a brother and sister who grew up in poverty. They lived with their mom in the same small house where she had been raised. Their mom worked several jobs and struggled month after month to put food on the table and pay the utility bill. When their mom passed away, they went back to that house where they grew up so they could get her belongings. They went up to the attic and began going through the boxes that had been there since before their mom had been born and they found a crumpled up brown bag. Most people would have thrown the bag out with the trash, but the brother took a peek inside and saw seven baseball cards that had belonged to his great grandfather. Thinking that the cards might have some value, they put them and finished their task at hand. When they finally got to an appraiser, they realized that the cards were in pristine condition and worth millions! WOW! Their entire childhood they were living like they were poor, yet, the whole time they were rich! All they had to do was go up and seek what had been left to them by their grandfather.

This story is an illustration of how we tend to live our daily lives. We live like we are poor, when we are indeed rich. We allow the circumstances of life to make us feel worthless and hopeless when in fact, we are taught in Romans 8:17 that we are co-heirs with Christ. Because of God's work through Jesus we have the riches of His Son in an everlasting hope. The inheritance of Christ is ours! I am not pretending for a second that money isn’t important in the world we live in. Let me be clear. We need money to survive and I believe He wants us to not only survive but thrive. How do we thrive when we are struggling to pay the bills? We trust in Him and His provision. We claim the riches of His love, grace and mercy. As Lauren Daigle says in her song, Everything, “Even the sparrow has a place to lay its head so why would I let worries steal my breath? Even the roses, You have glowed them brilliant red, still I'm the one You love more than this. You give me everything, everything I need.” Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 direct us to live life seeking Him first, believing that He will provide everything we need and more. He also reassures us in John 10:10 that He came to give life, life abundant! So, today I ask you, Sister…which side of the comma are you living on? Are you just living life focused primarily on what you don’t have, a life of scarcity? Or, are you claiming the riches of your inheritance as a daughter of Heaven and living the abundant life He came to give?

When I was a little girl, I thought any house with stairs was a mansion and anyone who lived in a “stair-house” was rich. No matter the monetary situation we may dwell in on this earth, one day we will walk on streets of gold and live in mansions of glory with our Heavenly Father. “So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). The inheritance of Christ is ours! Let’s claim it now and learn to live rich in Him! So today, rather than measuring your net worth by your bank account or the profit of your IRA, cash in your value as a treasured child of God and exclaim, “I am wealthy…because He said so!”

Additional Reading: Psalm 1:1-3; Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 15:31; Romans 11:33; 1 Timothy 6:17-19: Revelation 21:11-23

Dear Lord,

I praise You today for all that You are; You are the Creator of the Universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords. You are the I AM! I know that You created me on purpose for a purpose. I am who You say I am. The enemy wants to hold me back from living out the calling You have placed on my life. Lord, saturate my mind with the truth of Your Word so that I may remember that my identity is found in You and only You. Remind me throughout the day, when the world comes tumbling in, that You are in control. Reveal Your will in my life as I only want to please You. No matter how difficult my day becomes I will remember that I can do all things through You (Phil 4:13). In Jesus' name. Amen