We are custom made by God with
a body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5: 23). This makes us a very valuable
creation, unique and loved by our Creator. He fashioned us to fulfill a
specific purpose in His plan for mankind. This is a function, which no one else
can completely fulfill.
He calls us to a spiritual, emotional and physical employment,
which He designed especially for each one of us. You have worth and value to
God because He created you, died for you and will come again for you, if you
place your trust totally in Him instead of in yourself or any other created
thing or being.
When I use the word “self-worth”,
I am not talking about self-esteem, self-image or any other carnal concept
taught in today’s society. These terms are adopted in order to prop up a dying
race that is self-centered, humanistic and separated from God. We are talking
about having worth, strength, talents, merit, capability and significance
through Christ within us. When we are at our weakest as a human being, then God
can be strong in and through us.
Unhappy people are depressed and irritable and often have a low
sense of self-worth. Joy, peace and contentment are by-products of righteous obedience
to God. Only through a relationship with God can we realize the full potential
of our worth. Godly self-worth gives us the feeling of being comfortable
with “who I am”. Self-worth frees us to give of our self in service to God and
to others. This is the kind of self-worth we are truly looking for in our
lives.
God created us exactly as He
wants us to be (Psalm 139:14-16; Isaiah 45:9-11). He continues to work in our
lives through sanctification, bringing us ever closer to perfection (Ephesians
2: 10, 22; 1 Thessalonians 5: 23, 24; 1 Peter 5: 20). We never have an
opportunity to think too highly of our self, because God designed us as we are.
He has a blueprint for our life, and He is perfecting us according to His plan
for our life.
C. S. Lewis stated, “…For here the pleasure lies not in what you are, but
in the fact that you have pleased someone you wanted to please. The trouble
begins when you pass from thinking, ‘I have pleased him; all is well,’ to
thinking, ‘What a fine person I must be, to have done it.’"
What is the difference
between self-worth and self-centeredness? Self-centeredness manifests in
characteristics such as arrogance, self-absorption, inordinate thoughts about
self, considering self above others and pride. Self-worth is evident through
humility, compassion, contentedness, honesty, courage and grace. We are sinners who can do nothing to impress or please You (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:6-8).
Just how do I develop a
sense of self-worth if mine is non-existent? We start by reprogramming our thought
patterns. Due to negative feedback we received from people in our past and/or
present, we may need to capture every negative thought we have about our self and
compare it to what Christ thinks about us. We flourish as we replace our
thoughts with God’s Word and believe what He says about us. (See my other posts
entitled “Who Loves You” and “Who You Are In Christ”.)
We can find God’s opinion of
us by meditating on His Word. As we concentrate on how much God values our
individuality, and then refuse to compare our self with anyone but Jesus, we
can grow in our individuality and blossom for Christ. First, we recognize God’s
work in our life. Then we share with others how God is working in our lives,
and how He is teaching us to accept who we are in Him.
Prayer:
Father God, You gave us so many examples in the Bible of Your
heroes who recognized Your greatness in them and depended solely upon You. Isaiah
(Isaiah 6:5), Job (Job 42:6), Gideon (Judges 6:15), Amos (Amos 7:14) and Moses (Exodus
3:11, 4:10-13) all realized their need for dependence upon Your greatness
within them. We too find our strength in our weakness, when we depend upon Your
ability within us. Our relationship with You is not based upon
our self-righteousness, but only upon Your grace (Titus 3: 4-7). Thoughts for the Day:
“GOD DON’T MAKE NO JUNK.”
“GOD TAKES BROKEN PIECES AND
MAKES MASTERPIECES.”
