Romans 12:3(ESV)
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
The above Scripture reveals a mistake that knowing our calling could help to avoid. That mistake is thinking of ourselves more highly than we have to. Our Christian life and spiritual service should follow the will of the Lord and everything done to the glory of God. We are saved by grace through faith and are called to live our lives by the same grace. As believers, God has blessed us with specific spiritual gifts. And we are to exercise these gifts according to the measure of faith we have received and the grace. God wants us to know that walking with Him and possessing our possession is by His GRACE. Bible says in 1 Samuel 2:9, “By STRENGTH shall no man prevail.” Paul knew this, and he boldly declared: I AM WHAT I AM BY THE GRACE OF GOD! Note this: All that we will ever be for ourselves and God will come because of GRACE. Therefore, we are not to cherish exaggerated ideas of ourselves or our importance but have a sane estimate of our capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to us all. Seeing ourselves more than we are will end us up in frustration. We should neither underestimate nor over-estimate ourselves. 1 Corinthians 4:7 says, ” For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” The basis of our self-esteem is not in evaluating ourselves by worldly standards of success but in recognizing that what makes the difference is our identity in Christ.
It is common these days to have people with an exaggerated opinion of themselves. It may be because of the skills they possess or their high attainments in the activities and professions of the world. For some, it may be due to their illustrious family background. Either way, bloated self-esteem is dangerous, as it can blind the mind to better reasoning and conduct. Thinking of ourselves higher than we have to is pride because pride is self-sufficiency and self-exaltation. The fall of Lucifer and he becoming satan, the devil, was due to him thinking of himself highly than he ought to. It was pride that sent king Nebuchadnezzar to live in the field with wild animals, and he ate grass like a cow. As Christians, no matter how loaded the potentials in us, we do not have a future if we walk in pride. Arrogance can poison the future. It takes humility to learn and apply ourselves to our potential. Jesus said in Matthew 18:4, “Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Humility will always give us more grace. John the Baptist, whose mission was to pave the way for Jesus, said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).
Beloved, use your spiritual gifts in humility and embrace diversity in the body of Christ with sincere love and mutual respect. Don’t overestimate yourself or make yourself god on earth! Rate your abilities soberly. Don’t become a legend in your mind. Never think that you are better than anyone or look down on anyone as less than you. Instead, humble yourself beneath the mighty hand of God, and let God do the exalting—that prevents some very painful falls. Don’t put yourself in a position where God has to resist you. Adopt an attitude of humility, remaining humble and teachable. Keep a watch on yourself, and when you catch yourself getting puffed up with your greatness, repent and remember that every good thing you enjoy and every bit of success you’ve had has come by the grace of God and by His power. Remember to be humble before God and allow Him to be your all in all.
O Lord, give me the grace to function with total humility and submission in Jesus’ Name.