A Godly Self-Esteem, Part 2

Let us reason together.

If you base your self-image and worth on what you do or how you behave, it will be damaged every time you make a mistake, sin, or fall short. However, if you base your self-worth on God's love, every act of repentance will be a reassurance of that love and help you understand how truly valuable you are. To do this, however, one must accept the fact that, as a human, anything other than sinful imperfection is impossible while on this earth, and everything we are and do that may be of worth is by His grace and power alone.

You are valuable enough for Him to sacrifice His beautiful, perfect, and infinite Son for your sake!!!

You are invaluable! Don't buy into the lie that you are not. That is called a lie and false humility. True humility comes from honesty and knowing the truth about who God is and who you are. Denying the worth that He has bestowed upon you is not an act of humility; it is an act of blatant disrespect towards God. It is an outright insult towards Him.

A closing thought: just as you are invaluable to Him, everyone else it too. Remember that Jesus came to save "whosoever" accepts Him. Likewise, you and I are able to do "good" only because of His grace. He uses other people to grow us, teach us, discipline us, and help us become of use for His kingdom. So, when you encounter someone in need that might seem undisciplined, sinful, disgusting, evil, "addicted," or "inferior," just remember that the only difference between you and that person is the influence that God chose to have on your life. Would you be that much different from that person if you had grown up in the same circumstances? No, you would not. If God had given you the same personality, upbringing, education, emotional disposition, etc., you probably would not be that different from this "inferior" individual.

It might very well be that He wants to use you to make that same difference on his or her life!!!

A Godly Self-Esteem, Part 1

The topic of self-esteem is sometimes shunned amongst Christians because of its seeming conflict with the concept of humility. However, self-esteem is very critical. A poor self-image can cripple you, robbing you of your ability to enjoy God, your relationships with others, your life, and your ability to fulfill God's will.

As a matter of fact, I would argue that a poor self-esteem is borderline blasphemy or sin. Why? For three reasons:

1. God made you in His image, and as such you are invaluable.
2. God clearly thinks that you are worth enough to sacrifice His Son for your sake.
3. If the spirit of God lives in you your worth in infinite because of His presence. If I filled a building with gold and sell it as a unit, its worth would be (at least) equal to its content. The same is true of everyone indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

Lets give credit to where credit is due. God said you are very valuable. You should recognize, accept, and agree with this. Otherwise, you would be disagreeing with God.

The difference between worldly and Godly self-esteem is where the self-esteem comes from and what it is based upon.

The world bases self-esteem mostly on performance, discipline, ability, or a character trait. As a Christian, this is inappropriate. It is imperative to understand that our value as people does not come from what we can do. Whatever our abilities may be, they are not our own. They were given to us by God, so our skills, abilities, and character are not a valid source of self-worth, self-esteem, or confidence; they are a source of thanksgiving and praise towards Him. God's love for you, Jesus' sacrifice, and His presence within you are the only valid source of self-esteem and much more powerful ones.

Worldly self-esteem could lead to a "better-thou" attitude. Godly self-esteem will always lead you to understanding that all people are equally valuable, there is no such thing as a "better" or "superior" person.