Week of Prayer, Day 7: Becoming Who We Are
Take a slow, unhurried moment to read Paul’s threefold reminder of God’s grace.
As you do, notice the movement of the passage: who we once were, who we now are, and who we are becoming.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3v3-7 (NIV)
— Devotional —
In the movie The Princess Diaries, the unassuming Mia Thermopolis (played by Anne Hathaway) discovers that she is the sole heir to the throne of Genovia.
What makes the story both moving and humorous is that Mia has already spent fifteen years living as an ordinary teenager, unaware of her royal identity. So with the guidance of her grandmother (Julie Andrews), she must slowly learn to behave like the future queen that she is.
Mia’s journey is about becoming what she already was.
The Christian life follows a similar pattern. It is not about earning a new identity, but learning to live in light of the identity we have already been given in Christ.
Becoming who we already are.
So, question: who are we?
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 4v7
Paul calls us “heirs” (v7).
An heir is someone set to receive an inheritance—an estate, a title, a future. In Christ, Paul says, we are brought into God’s household with a hopeful future ahead of us.
How did we become heirs? Paul answers with one word: “justified.”
The term comes from the language of the courtroom. To be justified is to be declared righteous—to be cleared of all charges. God justified us “by his grace,” meaning it was his work, not ours. As Paul has already written, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (v5).
This is who we now are:
Justified.
Sons and daughters.
Heirs.
We spend the entirety of our Christian lives becoming who we already are. Like Mia Thermopolis, we may sometimes act un-royally. But it doesn’t change the reality. Our adoption into God’s family is written into God’s will and sealed with the Spirit (see Romans 8v15). Discipleship is the process of taking on those family traits, one by one, degree by degree.
But if this is true—if this is who we are now—then why does Paul spend so much time reminding us who we used to be?
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
— 1 John 3v1
When we forget where we’ve come from, pride can take root.
Have you ever met someone who speaks as though they were never immature? Never confused? Never wrong? Brittle is the wisdom that forgets its beginnings. Real humility, and real wisdom, emerge when we can look back at the past and say, “I used to be lost, but God found me. I used to be in trouble, but God rescued me.”
That’s why, in Titus 3, Paul urges Titus to “remind” believers (v1) who they were before Christ.
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved,” he writes. Prior to Jesus, life was characterized by malice, hate, and envy (v3). That was then.
But then grace happened.
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…” (v4-5).
That’s when who we were gave way to who we are.
To live into that identity, we must cultivate a long memory—one that remembers both the depth of our need and the depth of God’s mercy. The goal is not to remain chained to the past or to rehearse old shame, but to remember our story so that we stay humble, grateful, and hopeful.
Humble, because we—like everyone—needed rescue.
Grateful, because he appeared and saved us.
Hopeful, because one day we will fully become who he is already shaping us to be.
— Prayer —
Use the guide below as a prompt for prayer today.
1. Cultivate humility by remembering who you were.
Paul begins with “At one time we too were…”
Spend a moment reflecting on your own story. What were the conditions of your life before you understood the grace of God? If you were raised in the church, think of the seasons when faith was shallow, assumed, or a struggle.
Without drifting back into shame, let that history remind you that you were not unlike anyone else. You were dependent. You were in need. You were seen by the God of mercy.
Let humility rise in you.
2. Cultivate gratitude in who you are today.
Paul continues, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
This may sound unusual, but give thanks for who you are right now.
That you have been shown mercy.That you belong to God.That you are not defined by your worst moments.That God is kind and loving.
Let gratitude settle in your heart.
3. Cultivate hope about the person you’re becoming, and who you will be in eternity.
Paul finishes, “so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.“
Spend a few moments entrusting your future to God. Ask him to continue shaping you into the person he intends you to be. Rest in the hope that he’ll finish the story in the age to come.
Conclude this time of prayer full of hope.
