GOD-ESTEEM, SELF-ESTEEM AND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

“But you are the chosen race, the King’s priests, the holy nation, God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.”

– 1 Peter 2:9

Still focusing on the Christian faith as a life of giving glory to God and addressing the narcissistic approach of “what’s in it for me,” let’s consider the words of Dr Larry Crab in his book – “Finding God,” he says “Christians have reduced God to someone useful whose reason for existence is to make our lives more personally satisfying.”

Dear God, what’s in it for me?

Christians are quick to proclaim the promises of God when things are going their way but when the time of necessary trials appear, it’s difficult to ascribe the praises in the same proportion.

Some even play the blame game, first, they blame others, those who they claim to be responsible for their challenges and mishaps. Then they blame God for making such a thing happen. Finally, they blame themselves forgetting that in the life of a Christian, be it good or bad, God is working for good and will receive all the glory at the end.

The problem is the Christian is always looking at how the situation looks on him – his ego comes into play. If the present situation does not look good, then he believes he is not showing forth the glory of God. This is a selfish way to evaluate the faithfulness of God that gave all for us… Even His own son.

Selwyn Hughes said “the primary benefit of the Christian faith – I would have thought – is that it gives us the opportunity to know God and to live for His glory.”

The narcissism has to be resisted. It is not that self esteem is not important but the way to experience God is not through self effort or measuring God’s faithfulness with how we fair socially. We ought to focus on God-esteem because we will find out that the more we hold God in esteem, the more we hold our self in esteem irrespective of social status or current situation.

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