Key Verse: Verse 3 - "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
Key Words: not to think of himself more highly
A young lady went to her minister one day and confessed, “Pastor, I have to admit I’ve become vain in my thinking. Why, just this morning I looked in the mirror and admired my beauty.” The elderly minister paused and then said with a smile, “Be at peace, my dear. To be mistaken is not to sin!”
Sometimes we as Christians are a lot like that young woman. We see ourselves through “rose-colored glasses” and fail to hold a proper view of our strengths and weaknesses. As a result, we attempt what we are not cut out to do, or we try to exercise gifts we do not possess. An inflated estimate of our capabilities hinders the Holy Spirit’s work in us and opens the door to embarrassment and failure. We must remember that He gives us our talents and empowers us so that what we accomplish brings glory to God, not to ourselves.
In Romans 12, Paul tells us how to gain a right perspective. He says that we should guard against having an inflated opinion of ourselves, but instead should see our lives in the context of the “mercies of God.” Because we are forgiven sinners through faith in Christ, we can be content to do whatever He chooses. Confident that He accepts us and wants to use us, we are then free to exercise the talents that are most natural to us.
So let’s not envy the achievements of others. Let’s not try to be like someone else. We can avoid being mistaken about our gifts by thinking soberly about ourselves as God gives us the measure of faith.
What to do:
✞ Use your gifts rather than attempting to use others.
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