#23: He Calls Me His Own

📖 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1

Identity is one of the deepest needs of the human heart. We long to know who we are, where we belong, and what defines us. Many voices try to answer these questions, yet none speak as clearly as the One who delights in us as His own. When He redeems us, He gives us a new identity, a new family, and a new name. He calls us His own.

This is why I love Jesus.
❤️ He calls me His own.

1️⃣ I love Jesus because He gives me a secure identity.

We live in a world that often ties identity to performance, success, position, reputation, or ability. But Jesus anchors my identity in something far deeper and far more permanent. He says, “You are Mine.”

Before calling me to lead, to serve, to speak, or to influence others, He called me by name. My identity does not begin with what I do. It begins with who I belong to.

J. I. Packer argues that adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. To be called God’s child is not a secondary benefit of salvation but its relational centre. Identity is secured not by role or usefulness, but by being named and claimed by God.

I love Jesus because His declaration over my life is secure and unchanging.

2️⃣ I love Jesus because He knows me fully and still calls me His.

Jesus does not call me His own because I am flawless. He calls me His own even with my limitations, growth areas, and ongoing transformation. He knows my story from the inside and still chooses me, not because I have earned identity but because He gives it.

In John 10, He says,
“I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me.”

Knowledge does not make Him withdraw. It draws Him closer. I find deep comfort in the truth that I do not have to pretend before Jesus. He sees everything clearly and loves without hesitation.

Sinclair Ferguson reminds us that union with Christ means we are known as fully as Christ is known and loved as truly as Christ is loved. Jesus does not claim us in ignorance of our weakness, but in full knowledge of it. (cf. Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ)

I love Jesus because He sees me fully and still calls me His own.

3️⃣ I love Jesus because He gives me belonging in His family.

Salvation is not only forgiveness. It is adoption.
Paul writes in Romans 8 that the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Adoption means belonging. It means identity, inheritance, and family.

In Christ, I am not a spiritual orphan searching for acceptance. I belong to the household of God. I have brothers and sisters across nations, generations, and cultures who share one Father.

This belonging has given me courage throughout my ministry journey. Timothy Keller notes that the gospel does not merely forgive individuals; it forms a family. Adoption gives us both vertical belonging to God and horizontal belonging to one another. We are never saved into isolation, but into a household.

I love Jesus because He gives me a home and a family.

4️⃣ I love Jesus because He speaks truth over my life when other voices try to define me.

Life offers many competing voices.
Some speak encouragement.
Others speak doubt.
Some speak truth.
Others speak confusion.

Jesus speaks identity, the truest thing about me. He says I am chosen, beloved, redeemed, adopted, and called. His Word becomes the anchor that holds me steady when other voices rise against the soul.

Henri Nouwen insists that the greatest spiritual battle is to believe we are the beloved of God. When other voices define us by success or failure, Jesus quietly reasserts the truest word over our lives: “You are Mine.”

A.W. Tozer once wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Yet I have found the opposite equally true. What God thinks about me defines my life. And He calls me His own.

I love Jesus because His voice grounds my identity.

5️⃣ I love Jesus because His claim on my life gives purpose, dignity, and destiny.

When Jesus says, “You are Mine,” He is not controlling. He is comforting.
His claim brings purpose.
His love brings dignity.
His calling brings direction.
His presence brings assurance.
His ownership brings eternal security.

Being His means my life is not random. My steps are guided. My work has meaning. My story has continuity. My future has hope. Everything changes when the Creator and Redeemer names me as His own.

To belong to Christ is to discover that life is neither random nor self-made. Purpose flows from being claimed, dignity from being loved, and destiny from being kept by God. When Jesus says, “You are Mine,” the whole of life is gathered into meaning.

I love Jesus because belonging to Him gives meaning to every part of my life.

🎵 My Worship Response

Today’s worship moment flows from songs that celebrate identity and belonging.

• “Blessed Assurance”
A timeless hymn declaring, “I am His and He is mine.” It captures the confidence of knowing that my identity is securely rooted in Christ.

• “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong
This song reinforces the truth that I am chosen, not forsaken. It beautifully echoes Isaiah 43:1 and reminds me that my true identity comes from His voice alone.

• “My Worship” by Phil Thompson
A heartfelt declaration that worship is the response of a life owned by God. When Jesus calls me His own, my natural response is devotion, surrender, and praise.

🙏 Lord Jesus, thank You for calling me Your own. Thank You for giving me identity, belonging, dignity, and purpose. Let Your voice, not any other, define who I am. Help me walk each day in the confidence of Your love and the joy of being Yours.

✨ Reason # 23 Why I Love Jesus

He calls me His own, gives me identity, secures my belonging, and names me with love that never fades.