Self-worth or God's worth?

To ¹value ourselves is better than not valuing ourselves.

Studies have clearly shown we cannot function at our highest potential if we do not see ourselves as having value and bringing value to others.

However, to be valued by God is not only better, but what we are designed for. Therefore it is best and what actually works long term.

When we understand and recognize God's value of us, we are able to function as designed, regardless of if or when others value us. Unlike the approval we receive from other finite creatures, God's value of us is infinite (because He is Infinite) and certain (because it is not secured by our performance, but Christ's). The value others have for us and the value we have for ourselves is not; it is fickle and inconsistent at best and therefore inadequate. Long term, it is insufficient i.e. it simply doesn't work.

It is fickle and inconsistent because humanity is fickle and inconsistent; both ourselves and others. An infinite need cannot be satisfied by a finite source (us or other created beings).

We were designed to experience infinite value and be the means of bringing God's infinite value to others.

We can only be solid, stable, and consistent when and to the extent that we are anchored in God and his value of us -- who alone is solid, stable, and consistent i.e. perfect.

When we are solid, it is only because we are anchored in him.

The irony is we don't experience our greatest sense of value by focusing on it, ("...self, repeat after me, I am valuable, loved, important" etc. This is not some mantra we must continually tell ourselves) but when we focus on the most valuable i.e. God (only he is infinitely worthy, lovely, most important and deserving of our constant focus and praise etc.)

Why is this? As his image bearers, we were designed to engage and participate in the worth/glory/love of God. We experience our greatest value/meaning/glory/love only when we participate in the most valuable/meaningful/ glorious/loving...God. Anything less does not match up with who we are and were designed to be i.e. it simply does not work.

"The glory of God is man fully alive."- Irenaeus i.e. our experiencing God in all his glory is when we are most alive. When we are most alive in him, we also bring him the greatest Glory.

"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." Jesus, Lk 17:33

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake (i.e. to honor me) will find it." Jesus in Mat 16:24-26   

We will only truly find our lives when we lose our lives...in him i.e., when we stop seeking to find life outside of God, is when we find real, lasting, and true life in God i.e. when we experience God Himself. 

For a discussion of our worth in relation to sin click here
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¹I am using value as synonymous with being infinitely loved, worthy, important, significant etc.

the appeal of humility

Why is it that when we see humility in others we find it so appealing? 

No one likes someone who is arrogant and thinks they are "all that." Everyone likes someone who is humble. 

The reason? 

Humble people treat others (us) with dignity and arrogant people do not. 

A truly (*genuinely) humble person is other (you and I) oriented not self-oriented. 

We like it when others treat us as significant/important and don't when they think they are the only one in the room who is.  Nothing is more boring then someone always thinking or talking about themselves.

In truth, we are all significant in the eyes of God. For someone to act as if they alone are significant is not only unappealing (and even repulsive), it's simply not true. 

The bottom line is when someone is all about self, they have no time for others (including you) unless it is to use you or others to advance themselves in some way. We find these kinds of people boring at best and often obnoxious. 

On the other hand, we are drawn to truly humble people. We like them. We like it (even admire it) when someone recognizes they are who they are because of others and are focused on recognizing and/or helping others. True humility is always **other-oriented and always refreshing. 

As Tim Keller likes to say, "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less"

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*...there is also a false humility which no one likes. False humility is not humility at all but actually self-pity which is also about self only masked as humility. 

**Given this understanding tells us something very significant about God, doesn't it? Ironic when you consider most interpret God's call to recognize his glory as only being self-focused, when in fact God knows the best thing for us, is our recognizing his glory. 

Do you have real life?

To make life all about us assumes there's nothing greater or more important than us. 

But what if there is? What if true life itself is a gift that comes outside of us and all the things we see and experience around us? What if our longing for life is due to the absence of connection to its true source? Wouldn't we be wise to explore this and shortchange ourselves to ignore this possible source?

Some may object and say they have life already. A great one in fact! But how do we know? What if your life could be hundreds, maybe thousands of times richer and fuller...not necessarily circumstantially but in depth of meaning and purpose (most don't even know why they exist, i.e. what their purpose is. Even when they think they find it, something is still lacking). 

Think of those moments (assuming you have had some) when you had the greatest joy, peace, and happiness. What if your life could be like that all the time, without interruption, regardless of your circumstances, and to a much greater degree... even beyond your comprehension? 

Now, what if you could experience this not just for fleeting moments but constantly and with ever-increasing intensity forever, beyond this present existence? Wouldn't that be better than the life you now have with the constant longing for something more, with little or no future hope? Isn't this worth exploring and pursuing?

All the things we find lovely, attractive, beautiful, enjoyable, and breathtaking now is not an illusion or delusion. We experience and are drawn to beauty for a reason. We experience this because we were designed for this; to engage in and enjoy ultimate beauty; the source of beauty itself. 

And we will do so even far more in the next life. It is there we will experience all things in all their complete, original, uncorrupted,  unfettered fullness and glory, with the perfect ability to do so.

Creation will be clearly seen as it truly is. Not as the source of life, but as the overflowing gift(s) of the infinitely beautiful, creative, glorious, and loving God; the source/creator of all things, resulting in our hearts overflowing and spontaneously singing His praises, not to creation but to him for all things he has made and given for our joy and His glory.

Now, what if this life I have described, was offered to you as a gift and not something you would need to gain through your own efforts or could, even if you wanted to or tried. Wouldn't you want to know about it?

This is what is offered to you in Christ.

"...but whoever drinks of the water that I (Jesus) will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - Jesus Joh 4:14

"But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him' ”— 1 Cor 2:9

Do you love God i.e. value him above all other persons or things? If you do not, you have not experienced his love for you yet. To experience his love truly is to love God truly. We can do nothing less once we have.

Do you wish to take part? He invites you to come. 

"The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price (you can't earn or buy it)." - The last book in the Bible and closing invitation of John the apostle regarding the revelation of Jesus Christ. Rev 22:17 

Hard wired for greatness

Reducing people to something ¹less than human — such as holding someone as a political or emotional prisoner — isn't tolerated long by those being abused - particularly if they have a strong belief in their own worth/dignity. 

Why? Since we are image-bearers of the One who is of infinite worth, we can not remain long in a state of being treated as worthless i.e. treated without dignity (unless we have lost complete hope of finding relief). We will seek a way, one way or another, to fill the void and pain of being treated as worthless to relieve that pain -  or die trying. If we ever lose complete hope of obtaining a sense of worth/ meaning/purpose, we will seek to end our lives. 

We applaud the human spirit. We love it when someone, against all odds, refuses to give in to the struggles and setbacks of life and fights back against being treated as less then they are. Instead of giving up, they battle back against opposition, defeat, and pain to eventually rise and ²overcome being mistreated. The greater the struggle, the more we cheer when they overcome it. The sweetest victory is the one that occurs when it seems least likely to happen. This resonates with all of us. We love the underdog who wins! 

This is why the greatest stories and movies echo this theme. We love an epic battle of ³good vs evil in movies like Star Wars (box office sales prove the universal appeal) or any movie that depicts an underdog overcoming overwhelming adversity such as "Rudy", "Hoosiers" or "Shawn Shank Redemption." We love it when these underdogs are in the battle of their life and desperately losing (or considered "losers") then, against all odds, they come back and win. 

Super Bowl LI with the history-making come back of Tom Brady and the Patriots is a classic example. Even if you don't like the Patriots, you still may applaud, quietly respect and maybe even admire their "never quit" approach to the game. At a minimum, you will at least wish your team had the same focus and determination.

Why does this connect so deeply within us all? Why do we cheer the Rocky's of the world so enthusiastically?  

We desire greatness and we cheer those on who achieve it. We are all wired for infinite worth, importance, greatness. To engage it, experience it, and live it! It is who we are meant to be. 

We all look and hope for something more. Even to the point, we live it out vicariously through various celebrity types. We worship "successful" people because it makes us feel important. "Check it out! I know this or that about so and so (sharing something about some well know celebrity)!! Wooowhoooo!!"" 

If we ever lose hope of obtaining some sense of value/importance/worth, we give up and die. We simply must have it.

But why is this? Why is there such universal appeal? 

We are all hard-wired for greatness because we are hard-wired to engage, participate in, and experience GOD who is greatest! 

We are all wired for GOD. And not just any god but the only true God who created and sustains everything; who is of infinite worth, greatness, love, and beauty. A God we were designed to fully engage, experience, and enjoy. 

Because we were wired to engage and experience greatness i.e. God himself - we long for it (greatness) because he is greatest. 

However, we settle for far less. We settle for the finite when we are designed for the Infinite i.e. we pursue the things of creation instead of the Creator. We go about life content - but only short-term; moment to moment, like a bee constantly seeking pollen when we experience the slightest little thing that affirms us. 

Only the Infinite, Almighty, All-Glorious, Majestic, Loving, and Beautiful God can fulfill us! Ultimately, nothing else will do.

For a further discussion on our being created for glory click here.

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Footnotes:

 ¹ We are of great value as God's image-bearers (and therefore need to experience/feel and participate in great value)

² This is why death is so gut-wrenching and puzzling.  Even though many rationalize it away and say it's an inevitable part of life, in our gut we know something is wrong and not as things were meant to be. Death just feels wrong. We have an innate sense, life should never end (and we only give up on living when we can no longer acquire or enjoy the things of life as easily as we grow older or for some other reasons are unable to enjoy the fruits of this life). Even though death is a common part of our existence,  instinctively, deep down, we know death is not a normal part of life but a terrible aberration.  

This is also why resurrection...life overcoming death, is such an exciting and appealing message/reality. This is why the resurrection of Christ was and is so vital. Because he overcame the greatest possible adversity - adversity that killed him - we have hope we too can overcome it in and through Him. 

³ Note what characterizes good vs evil is rooted in being treated or not treated with value; being loved as we wish to be loved, treated as we wish to be treated. Where does this desire come from? It goes directly to the infinite worth of God himself. To explore this more click here. 

Offenders and offended

God abhors evil (wrongdoing) because he loves those it harms. He hates precisely because He loves first. 

This same love moves God to be patient with us in our wrongdoing and the harm we cause others - i.e. He is longsuffering. He does not delight in our harm or perishing no more then he delights in our harming and sometimes even destroying others. He equally values all who are created in his image.

So it appears God has a dilemma. He loves both the offender and the offended.

How did God resolve this?

Because of our brokenness, spiritual bankruptcy and inability to operate as He desires - i.e. to love others as we were designed to - and because of his infinite love for us and complete hatred for the wrongdoing that entangles and destroys us all - he provided the solution himself. God sent ¹someone else -- who came willingly out of love for him and love for us -- to remedy this dilemma by having this other person (willingly) suffer the consequences of our ²rebellion, in our place, as well as assigning his perfect faithfulness and trust of the Father (i.e. his righteousness) to us in place of our unrighteousness. 

He did this so both those who harm (offend) and those who are harmed (offended) might not have to reap long-term destruction for the harm caused by or to others - i.e. so they wouldn't be liable for their indebtedness to restore the loss or harm they caused others... someone else paid it for them.

We are all offenders and offended.

To provide a solution Christ, who did no wrong and did not deserve the consequences of wrongdoing, took all of this and deliberately put it on himself instead of onto us, who do deserve the consequences. He sent Jesus (who willingly came), the eternal, faultless Son of God. He now invites you to accept his gift and experience the fullness of his love that moved him to offer it.

This is why it's called amazing grace!!

Psa_85:10  Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Isa 53:3  He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5  But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

*Evil - רַע   (pronounced ra) (948c) in the Old Testament Hebrew; from the same as H7455; evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity: 

— adversity (7), calamity (4), disaster (2), evil (94), harm (2), harmful (1), hurt (1),ruin (3), surely (1), trouble (2), unpleasant (1), wickedly (1), wickedness (1).

For a further discussion regarding evil click here.  

For a further discussion on "playing" the victim click here

For a further discussion on being a victim vs an offender click here

For a further discussion of the nature of our rebellion click here

For a further discussion on what drives good behavior click here and here 

For a discussion on how to overcome our brokenness click here 

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¹Someone who did no true harm or offense -- except calling out others (i.e. self-righteous religious "leaders") on their arrogance...which of course they found offensive. 

In order for someone else to credit us with righteousness (God-honoring living) and bear the consequences of our unrighteousness (rebellious unbelief leading to God-dishonoring living), they could have none of their own unrighteousness (rebellious unbelief) and had to live fully for the glory of God (be righteous). The only sacrifice that could meet this was a "lamb without spot and blemish" (no flaws, sins i.e. no unfaithfulness in living for God's honor but total faithfulness. Someone who loved God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and their neighbor as themselves to the point of giving up their very own life for the benefit of another, not their own benefit. Who would do this?!). The only person to do this was the eternal Son of God and Son of man, Jesus Christ. 

²Why don't I say "mistreatment of others" instead of "rebellion" here?  Because our mistreatment of others is rooted in our rebellious distrust of God i.e. our unbelief that we were created and called to love God and our neighbor. Mistreatment of our neighbor is rooted in our unbelief and rejection of God.

Shifting hope

We can get frustrated (or angry) with the struggles of life because intuitively we know pain and struggle is not what we were originally created for. We were ultimately created for a relationship of infinite, uninterrupted love, joy and bliss; not merely finite (limited/temporary) relationships or relationships with things finite.

We long for a relationship of ¹infinite love. When we can not find it we go after anything else we can "get our hands on" to give us that sense of love, glory, meaning, value etc. Yet we never truly find long term what we seek. We only experience tastes of it in "fits and starts." 

Even for those blessed enough to be in a healthy relationship(s)... one(s) they are truly grateful for, it still is not enough. We long for more because we were designed for more...far more. 

Until we realize what we long for will not and can not be found in this life, we go through life constantly disappointed and always frustrated. 

Only when we come to a place that we know what we really long for is not here but yet to come, does the frustration subside. Our hope shifts and we enter into a true and lasting hope and begin to pursue all other things in light of this new hope. 

Rom 5:2  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

Rom 8:20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  24  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

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¹Once true (perfect, infinite, uninterrupted) love is awakened, we desire more with even greater intensity and ultimately with everything that is in us. 

Usually the closest we come to this is when we "fall in love" for the first time. But it isn't sufficient because perfect, infinite, uninterrupted love is what we are designed for. This is our ultimate and true hope and only this love will do.

Eternal progression

Being finite (limited) and being untrusting (unbelieving) are not the same. 

Being finite is not *bad or wrong, it is simply what and who we are i.e. we are limited, not unlimited. We have the capacity to participate in the unlimited but only if and when we are connected with God. 

A key aspect of unbelief (rebellion) is refusing to recognize the reality of our limitations or that of the rest of creation. 

For example, Adam was told he was not suited to know good and evil **(at least not yet) i.e. He was limited/finite. Yet he bought into the lie he could be his own god -- someone without limits -- and no longer needed to be the limited/finite being he actually was; a being dependent on the only one who is truly infinite, unlimited, self-sufficient (i.e. God), for life, love, and all things.

In eternity the means by which we will continue to progress in our relationship to God is not faith as we do presently -- we will then be face to face with God and relate to him by sight. We will participate in an ever-increasing expansion of our being in greater union with He who is the infinite source of love and life.

The reason our capacity will be ever-expanding is we are like God i.e. We are in God's image, designed to experience him to the maximum of who he is, without ever becoming fully God ourselves.

And because God is infinite our expansion/progression will never cease i.e. We will always be increasing in our experience and enjoyment of God throughout eternity i.e. there will never come a point we will "arrive" for there is no end to the infinite God or our capacity to enjoy him.

Love is the common factor in our ongoing transformation/progression both now and in eternity. 

The love of God presently revealed to us by the Spirit through faith is what transforms us now and in eternity. The difference in eternity is that same love will be experienced directly and seen face to face and not by faith i.e. No longer through a glass darkly.

* For a fuller discussion click here. 

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*Being limited is considered bad by many, particularly those more tied into eastern philosophy who advocate man is unlimited. They say the reason for his problems is he has not yet learned to "tap in" to himself as infinite beauty, strength and wisdom. Though we have the capacity to participate and enjoy infinite beauty, strength and wisdom this is not the same as saying we are these things within ourselves i.e. independent of God who is the source of these things. To say it directly God is he source, we are not. 

**Some have speculated that as Adam and Eve matured they might have eventually been allowed to eat of the tree. The reasoning is everything God made (all trees) were good. And knowing good and evil was an attribute of God himself and therefore must have been a good attribute but one that required something Adam and Eve did not yet have but over time might have developed. I am not sure I subscribe to this notion but it is an interesting one.  

Of course the challenge to this view is Christ "was slain before the foundation of the world" i.e. the fall at a minimum was anticipated if not planned. So a scenario that does not include the fall is purely speculation, not to mention an inferior option, otherwise it would have occurred if you believe God is the all wise Creator and Sustainer of all things/events.