Episode #2 in the series IDENTITY by Aneel Aranha and Mildred Sawant looks at how many of us have a sense of low self-esteem which is why it is important to know what God thinks of us.
Episode 1: Who Are You: [ Ссылка ]
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Transcript (for those who prefer reading)
Hello and welcome back to Identity, the series that helps us know who we are in Christ so that we can lead lives of freedom and fullness. Today we will look at what God thinks about us because it is essential that we get our sense of worth and value from him, not anything or anybody else.
Our self-worth is often shaped through life experiences, relationships, peer pressure, society, culture, the environment, and other such factors. For the most part, these have not contributed to a healthy sense of self-esteem. On the contrary, most of us have a very poor self-image. We seem to forget that we are created in the image and likeness of God. But we can take some consolation that even the heroes of the Bible thought poorly of themselves.
Consider Gideon, a young man God chose as one of his Judges. He is a perfect example of somebody who struggled with low self-esteem. When God told Gideon to save the Israelites from the Midianites, who constantly harassed them, Gideon said. “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Sound familiar? We also think we are the least of the least, and let’s not pretend this is humility; this is self-disparagement. Humility is not thinking less of oneself; it is thinking less about oneself. There’s a huge difference. God has made us fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14), and when we belittle ourselves, we belittle him. Now, although Gideon thought so little of himself, God didn’t. God thought of him as a “mighty warrior,” which Gideon eventually became, leading the Israelites to a tremendous victory in battle with only 300 men. You should read the story; it is a fascinating example of what we can achieve if God is with us. You’ll find it in Judges 6-8.
For another example, consider Moses. Today, Moses is hailed as one of the greatest heroes of Scripture, but when God called him to set the Israelites free, he was a demoralized man. As you undoubtedly know, Moses was born of a Hebrew slave but brought up by Pharoah’s daughter. One day, Moses killed an Egyptian for mistreating a slave. Fearing punishment, he ran for his life into the wilderness, and for the next 40 years, Moses tended to sheep. When God appeared to Moses and told him to lead the Israelites to freedom, he said. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” implying he was a simple shepherd. He had completely forgotten who he once was. And then he began to put himself down. “I have never been eloquent. I am slow of speech and tongue. Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” And Scripture says God got angry with Moses for putting himself down. “Are you saying I make junk?” he asked. I am, of course, paraphrasing, but please do read the entire story in Exodus 3 and 4 for yourself. You will see this is essentially what he was asking. Moses was once a prince, but now he thought so little of himself. However, God saw him as a man who would do great things. And great things he did.
My friend, God sees us as people who will do great things. And great things we will do if we realize who we are. And who is that? We are not ordinary mortals. How can we be ordinary when we have an extraordinary God? As Paul writes: “We are God’s handiwork—some translations use the word masterpiece— we are God’s masterpieces created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
As we proceed in this series, we will learn what “good works” God wants us to do and also learn more about what God thinks of us. I believe it will be a wonderful adventure of self-discovery and a realization of our potential.
Memory Verse: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. — Ephesians 2:10
Exercise: Write down in a sentence or two what you believe God thinks of you.
