How are you thinking of yourself?
How we think of ourselves is massively important. Remember, as a person thinks in his heart, that’s who he is. Therefore, how you think about yourself truly has long lasting significance.
With that in mind, let’s look at two things we need to be careful about as we think about ourselves.
First, be careful about thinking too much of yourself. There are some people – – probably not Christian believers – – who would say you can’t think too much of yourself. They would say you can only rise to the level of your expectations, and that it’s necessary to “pick yourself.”
The Bible pictures it in a different way. Pride is the ultimate sin– – the father of all other sins.
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Three different times the Scripture exalts humility and shows the danger of pride: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6, Proverbs 3:34).
When we think of ourselves as the smartest person in the room and denigrate others in our own minds, our pride has gotten the best of us.
That kind of thinking is harmful to ourselves and to others.
Second, be careful when you think too little of yourself. It’s especially important that you think of yourself as God thinks of you – – created in His image, set apart for a purpose, and called to make a difference in the world.
When we think of too little of ourselves, we may be thinking too little of God.
God took Moses who could not speak and made him a great orator. God took “the chief of sinners” and made him the greatest theologian in the history of the church.
Sometimes we might be tempted to denigrate our own opportunities. We must not view them in the eyes of the world but through the eyes of God. Don’t despise small things.
Jesus had only a small ministry in a small corner of a small country.
We need to remember there are no small ministries. God uses and blesses according to His power and His will not according to our power and our will.
In all things including how you think of yourself – – take on the mind of Christ and seek to please him. Look at the world and yourself through His eyes and you will see most clearly.
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