Key Bible Verse: He died for everyone, so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ (2 Corinthians 5:15). Bonus Reading:Romans 14:7—9

A close friend served under a dynamic four-star general in the army. A parade and parties filled the weeks before his retirement.

Two years later the general lay in a hospital, dying. My friend visited him and asked, "What was it like leaving such great responsibility and becoming an ordinary citizen?" Bitterness filled the general's voice as he replied, "We drove off the base in our RV. Now I commanded nothing except its steering wheel—and my wife told me where to turn that!"

In sharp contrast was Lt. Gen. William Harrison. He never achieved a major fighting command. But he was selected by General Douglas MacArthur to be the first chief negotiator after the Korean War. Highly respected at all levels, he became known as "the Christian general." But his identity and self image weren't in being a general. When General Harrison retired, he stepped into a new life with vigor and optimism. He served on a seminary board, wrote a book on eschatology, and was in demand as a speaker.

These two with parallel professional identities had radically different views of their real identity.

My Response: When my job ends, where will I find my identity?

Thought to Apply: Though all men are made of one metal, yet they be not cast all in one mold.