Do Not Think of Yourself More Highly Than You Ought

There is a line between being confident and being prideful or self-centered. If we think nothing of ourselves, we will likely accomplish nothing. When we realize that we can be someone in Jesus , our confidence shifts from us to God. If we think too highly of ourselves, we become God and our ears are tone deaf to God’s instructions and leading. In Romans 12, we read, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” We are only as good as God makes us. My success without God is like a clanging symbol. God knows it is done, but there is no beauty in it. I heard an interest pondering recently that went like this, “Sometimes I worry that I am going to mess up God’s plan for my life and then I have to remind myself that I am not that powerful.” God’s plan is going to be carried out with or without us. To somehow think that the world is going to fall apart without me is a little egotistical. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a special part to play, but your inaction might leave you out, and God will still accomplish what He chooses. I think about the Old Testament judges. There was a female judge that asked one of the men to carry out a mission to destroy an enemy leader. He was too hesitant to act, and so Debra sent another to accomplish the task. God still stopped that leader, but it was another woman that received the praise. This is also when I recall someone’s quote that stated, “When God calls you to accomplish a task, don’t worry about how it will get done, because God has already factored your stupidity and weaknesses into the outcome”. God is not our genie or life coach that is there to help us get what we desire. God is our King, Master, and Creator. We owe Him everything and we need to understand that our life belongs to Him. My identity is not found in what I do or accomplish, but through my trusting in God. If we fail to do what God sets before us, God is not stuck, but the challenge may become greater for the one who is faithful. So, when we serve God, we should forget about what other people think about what we do and focus on what God wants from me. Father, we imagine ourselves to be the center of the world at times. Help us to remember that we revolve around Your Son. Amen