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You Are Mine

Isaiah 43:1

"...Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine."

Identity theft is a growing concern in our country. It seems like every week there are new reports of people who have been victimized by this crime. As a result we hear numerous warnings about how to protect ourselves from becoming a victim. State governments redesign their drivers' licenses on a regular basis in order to stay ahead of unscrupulous people who thrive on making counterfeit licenses. Passwords are needed to access information at the bank and online. Certain papers with financial and personal information on them need to be shredded. Computers must be protected from viruses, and laptops guarded from possible theft. For our own peace of mind, we can pay a monthly fee to have our credit report sent to us so that we can monitor it ourselves. Despite all this, the problem often does not "hit home" until we become a victim ourselves.

What a comfort to read God's promise in Isaiah 43 "...I have called you by name you are mine". What a comfort to know that whatever may happen with our identity here on earth, our spiritual identity as a Child of God is secure. God knows who we are. We are His redeemed children. There is no way anyone can fool Him or pretend to be someone they are not. Through the waters of baptism we have been made His children and one day He will bring us home to be with Him forever in heaven.

While this doesn't make the problem of identify theft disappear or in anyway condone it, it does help to put the problem in perspective. As frustrating and as wrong as it might be, identity theft is still an earthly problem. Our identity as God's children is secure. Jesus' death on the cross opened the doors of heaven to all who believe and trust in Him as Lord and Savior. Martin Luther said it well when he wrote:

"And take they our life,
Goods, fame, child, and wife,
Though these all be gone,
Our vict'ry has been won;
The Kingdom ours remaineth."
(Lutheran Worship # 298 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God)