Out of a hundred people who hear this, one of you will do this and you’re the one who will succeed.
I have a question that I would seriously like you to think about. Are you important? Are you? This is a vital question and it speaks to something we call self-image. It’s popular to believe that your self-image, having a good self-image, a strong self-image, a positive image of yourself is wrong. It’s popular to say that. This is the first line of attack of the enemy, trying to deceive your mind by convincing you that you’re not important.
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Spiritual Foundations
The Book of Mark, chapter 12, “Then, one of the scribes came and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked Jesus, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him,
1. “The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
2. “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
According to Jesus, if you want to love your neighbor, what do you have to do first?
• If we adopt the mindset, “I’m a worm and everyone else is awesome,” and then, we're told to love our neighbor as ourselves, we must first love ourselves. Not in the sense, “Oh, I guess I'm okay.” God is not contradictory.
• If you worship God as the all-sufficient Creator and Father, then, you're doing no service to the Artist by condemning His art. Now, think about this: you’re doing no service to yourself by calling something beautiful (you), ugly.
• “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and then, he said, “There is no other commandment greater than these.” That's strong language. No other commandment, not even your favorite one, whatever that might be.
Are you important?
In Romans 12:3, Paul says to the church of Rome, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
Now, this verse is often quoted to communicate, “Think poorly of yourself.” But it says, “Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” He's saying, “Take an honest assessment of yourself and think that.”
Just before that verse, Jesus gives you a plan of self-improvement. Paul says, “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world (the system of thinking that is present in the world today), but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing
