Galatians 6:3 (HCSB)
3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Pride is perhaps the most subtle of sins and it is the cause of both low and high self esteem. To stroke oneself on the back of the neck and say, “bless my heart, I am worthless” is really no less pride than for one to say, “thank God I am not as other men are”. The focus of both is upon oneself, and that is pride. Again, I say, pride is perhaps the most subtle of sins.
Jesus said, “If any man follow me he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me or he CANNOT be my disciple. I like to think of this as saying “NO” to flesh, “YES” to my identification with Christ in His death. When He died, I died. And then, in the power of His resurrected life, by the Spirit, and in faith - “FOLLOW the Shepherd and Bishop of my soul.
To consider oneself “something”, whether something good or bad is out of the question now. If I consider myself something bad, I am virtually denying the truth that my sins are in the depths of the sea, as far as East is from West, and behind God's back that He remembers them no more.
If I consider my self something good, I deny the truth that “without Him I can do nothing” and that I am dead and my life is hid with Christ in God and that Christ has become my life.
There is so much to this blessed truth. When anyone becomes a “new creation” in Christ, old things pass away and all things become new. We possess new life, new light, new love, new compassion, new mercies which fail not. We are to reckon (account to be true) that we are dead to sin and alive to God.
As new creatures in Christ, we don't glory in whatever we think we are or by whatever we think we aren't and we do not allow others to impose their opinions upon us, for we are dead to the fallen nature. If we are cursed, it rolls off like water off a duck's back. If we are commended, the same is true.
It is not merely a verbal expression of “Praise the Lord”, but it is a genuine recognition of our identification with Christ. This whole attitude is one of confidence, not arrogance. A man made man is rightfully expected to do what he does – think himself to be something but a God made man or woman considers him/her self to do what He does, for He is the One working in us to will and do His good pleasure.
BOTTOM LIINE: Stop beating yourself and stop bragging on yourself. Others will “buffet” you as you brag on Jesus.
Blessings!
Friday, September 4, 2009
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