Who Do You Think You Are?

“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.” Romans 12:3

This is one of those “take you down a notch” passages.  Every now and then, we need to be reminded who we are and Whose we are.  Let’s be honest.  Nobody really likes someone who is arrogant, conceited or a know-it-all.  Being full of yourself is a turn off- so much more so in the kingdom of God. 

When we come to Christ for salvation, one of the first steps is recognizing our own sin nature and shortcomings.  We have to recognize that we are not perfect and reach out to the One who is.  Pride is the opposite of that. Pride says:  “ I have it all figure out. I know what to do.  I’ve got it going on.”

Now on the contrary, this also does not mean that Christians should go around feeling like they are lower than low.  Christians should not be shrinking violets with poor self-esteem.  We are children of the King; we are his beloved.  Therefore we are worthwhile people with a great purpose.

So where is the balance?  This passage indicates that we are to think of ourselves in sober judgment.  This is means that we are humble enough to see the truth about ourselves and turn to God for help and forgiveness.  The measure of faith we have been given allows us to be a child of God.  The measure of faith helps us believe for whatever we need from God.    By humility we know what we deserve, but by faith, we walk in His favor.  By understanding of the truth, we know our short comings; but by the measure of faith, we receive our inheritance in Christ.

The bottom line is that we get our sense of worth from Christ.  If we are somebody because he loves us and paid the price for us, that is a sobering truth.  Why? Because it is not based on us or our goodness, but rather on His character, which is always love.

Pride is a fault all of us struggle with.  We have to strive not feel we deserve to get our way all of the time.  We have to strive not to feel that we are right all the time.  We have to strive to get ourselves off of our minds, period.  Some people struggle with a different type of pride where they always feel like they are not good enough.  They feel as if they don’t deserve anything.  How is this pride?  It is pride because it is exalting our opinion above what the Bible says about us.  If the Bible says we are “the apple of His eye.”  That is what we are.  If the Bible says we are his children, that is who we are.

I urge you today to evaluate the way you view yourself.  Pray not to think more highly- or more lowly- of yourself than you ought to think.  Rather, see yourself through the lens of truth, which is the Word of God.

Dear Lord, examine my heart.  Show me places that pride lurks.  Forgive me my tendency and help me to see myself as you would have me to, in balance with Your Word.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.