Maybe if we had an accurate image of what God thinks of us, we wouldn’t feel the need to engage in so much self-promotion. I’m thinking if we really want to know what we’re worth, we’re often asking the wrong people, even if that person happens to be us. Maybe we should check and see what the Word says about how to see ourselves, and also what God says about us.
Matthew 10:31: “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Jesus, speaking here of how God takes care of even the sparrow, shows us our own worth. In the area of worry, I believe we wouldn’t worry if we truly understood our worth in God’s own eyes. The reason we worry is because we think we have to take care of everything ourselves. We think there’s no one else out there to take care of us. But we have a loving Heavenly Father who cares very much. If we would just learn to trust Him, we would see the physical manifestation of His care and concern on a regular basis.
Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Even greater—if we had any question about our worth—God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. No greater value amount could have been placed on us. That He did this while we were still in our sinful state makes it an even more powerful statement. This act of love wasn’t just a statement of love, but a statement of worth. God doesn’t just speak of His love for us, but He shows it.
Galatians 6:3: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” This is perhaps the greatest self-deception. It happens often without us realizing it. I’ve heard it said, “Arrogance and self-awareness seldom go hand-in-hand.” I’d say that’s pretty accurate. There’s something about pride that blinds us to the reality of ourselves. And the greater the pride, the greater the blindness. Sometimes we need a more objective view of ourselves to bring us back to reality. Sometimes that happens through another person, and sometimes that happens by means of circumstances bringing us back down to earth.
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” This pride that we so often try to avoid, yet wants to consume us regardless, is often the precursor to our downfall. This correction we tend to see as a bad thing, but if you’re wise you will see it as one of the greatest gifts ever given. What better gift than being able to see yourself as you actually are. For when you know what you’re working with, you then know what needs to be worked on. With a distorted image also comes a deception of faults and errors. What flaws remain, remain because you can’t see what’s been obscured by pride.
Proverbs 27:2: “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” If we’re looking for accolades, it’s wise to just wait for them to originate from someone else. This speaks to our often inaccurate view of self, and also our self-deluding pride. A more perceptive opinion is likely to come from a disinterested third party. It’s not that their praise is necessarily accurate either, but the main point is that it won’t be coming from us. It won’t be ourselves tooting our own horn. We can thank them for their kindness and move on. More importantly, it just gives us the chance to give the glory to God.
Matthew 10:31: “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Galatians 6:3: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 27:2: “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”