You could look the world over, and I highly doubt you would find two more unselfish people than my parents. As hard as I may try, I cannot think of a time when they ever put their needs above the needs of someone else. You know how you go through those stages where you think your parents know nothing? Yes, I went through those stages, and unfortunately, I am afraid I ignored alot of wisdom they tried to share. Most of the struggles I have found myself in are due to my stubbornness and lack of appreciation for wisdom. Although I ignored true wisdom many times, there are still some valuable lessons that I did learn from my parents. One of those gems is this: 1. I am not better than anyone else. 2. I am just as good as everyone else. The longer God allows me to work with people, the more I understand the importance of this lesson.
I believe that our view of God determines how we see ourselves. I believe our view of ourselves determines our view of others. Therefore, our view of God determines how we see everything. You see, we must first recognize and appreciate who God is. We must understand His greatness, His goodness, His power, and His sacrificial love.
We need to realize that God is God, and we are NOT. He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Lord of All. Compared to Him, we are nothing. But, because of who He is and what He has done, we are joint heirs with Christ. We are His children (1John 3:1). If He is in us, and we are in Him, we can do all things through Christ. We must understand that He loves us so much that He sent His only son to pay the price so that we could have a relationship with Him. That's how much He loves us, and that makes us pretty stinking special. And because of our position as children of the King, there are none better than us.
We must also consider that he loves others, no matter their race, their address, their past, or their present, just as much as He loves us. Therefore, we are better than none.
We should walk in confidence because we are who we are because of Christ. If God be for us, who can be against us. Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. However, we should also walk in humility because we are who we are because of Christ. You see, Christ died for us when we were powerless (Romans 5:6). When we were still sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8).
Understanding these truths is imperative to living a victorious life in Christ.
When we fail to grasp these truths, it greatly hinders our service for Christ. Let me explain.
1. If someone believes that she is better than others, she may feel like it is beneath her to socialize with certain groups of people. Or perhaps she would never stoop to the level to go somewhere that she might get dirty. Therefore, she misses out on opportunities to serve the Lord because she sees herself as too good for others or other circumstances.
2. If someone believes that she is not good enough, she may be unwilling to step out and take risks or use her talents to serve. She may feel that she is not smart enough or pretty enough or strong enough. Instead of believing what God says about her, she chooses to allow satan to take advantage of her insecurities.
Both of these issues lead to the same result- NOTHING. That's right, a distorted view of ourselves, either placing ourselves too high or too low, will keep us from being effective children of God. This may sound crazy, but our insecurities can actually become idols. My friend, God is more powerful than any of our faults and insecurities. We don't have to be secure in ourselves, we need to be secure in Christ. We need to give him our insecurities and watch Him show up and show out. He can do all things. He doesn't need our strengths. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
You may be wondering how I am the expert in all of this. Well, it's because I am one of the most insecure people you will ever meet. I have always dealt with insecurities, and I used to allow my insecurities to be bigger than the power of Christ in my life. But, I have chosen freedom. I have chosen to allow God to free me from the bondage of my poor self-image. I choose to see myself as a child of the King who can do amazing things through Christ. Nothing about me is good, but the Jesus in me is AMAZING! Let me encourage you today to believe that God is who He says He is, you are who God says you are, and He wants to do huge things through you!! You are His!!! It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free!
I am thankful for parents who raised me to believe that I am important and that others are important. I am thankful that they not only told me about Jesus, but they showed me and continue to show me who Jesus is through their lives. I pray that God will use me to pass this along to my children so that they may be effective ministers in the mission field called life.
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