Rejecting compliments with "I'm not worthy" is an insult to god who gave us life as well as gifts?

brinny said:

There was a post a while back that gave some perspective on this thread and what the OP was referring to.

The issue of "spiritual unworthiness" and the fact that we ALL need a Savior, is not what the OP's point is.

The OP was referring to "feigned" humility and false piety, that in the very act of it draws more attention to "themselves" and how "spectacularly humble" they are, than to God.

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Thats true, some people need to be humbled.

brinny said:

I know what you mean, amigo, because i know you. i'm thinkin' there's some misunderstanding goin' on with what the OP intended.

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Perhaps you're correct.

W2L said:

Thats true, some people need to be humbled.

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Hahaaaa yes, that's true. i've needed it myself many times.

hope said:

Therefore, when Christians decry any compliment with the statement, "I'm not worthy," is that not a slap in the face of God?

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If so, one is in good company. Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah each said something like this when God called them. And David asked "what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?"

I think when we meet God "face to face" in one of these awesome encounters, it's pretty natural to feel one is unworthy. Think even of John, a good friend of Jesus, who was blown away when he saw Jesus in his Vision in Revelation - fell down as if dead. And as another contributor said... the fact is: we are not worthy, not in ourselves. We have already slapped God in the face by not living up to all He made us to be.

It's quite a different think to go on to say that God cannot empower us to do what He's asking. In fact we can't do anything without that empowerment.

brinny said:

Hahaaaa yes, that's true. i've needed it myself many times.

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Me too, im sad to say.

W2L said:

Perhaps you're correct.

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If there are times when something you posted, like a song, a Bible verse, words of encouragement, and it ministered to me and i thanked you for it, it's understood that i'm thanking and praising God, and thankful that through His inexplicable GOODNESS and grace, that He used you to minister to me, a sister in Christ, your response is a sort of celebration WITH me that God is so GOOD, yes?

We are BOTH encouraged and ministered to.

How delightful is THAT???!!!

God is GOOD, amen?

brinny said:

If there are times when something you posted, like a song, a Bible verse, words of encouragement, and it ministered to me and i thanked you for it, it's understood that i'm thanking and praising God, and thankful that through His inexplicable GOODNESS and grace, that He used you to minister to me, a sister in Christ, your response is a sort of celebration WITH me that God is so GOOD, yes?

We are BOTH encouraged and ministered to.

How delightful is THAT???!!!

God is GOOD, amen?

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Amen.

Dave-W said:

That is patently unbiblical. Anti-biblical even.

For God so loved the world ...

The world is not righteous, but it is full of people.

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Not to get off topic but this is related I believe . Herein is love , not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our Sins. I have read somewhere that in the 1600's , the phrase " So loved " as in "God so loved the world" would be understood today as " God had such great compassion that He gave ..." In other words , one can read John 3:16 and place the emphasis on man or one can read John 3:16 and place the emphasis on God and His Christ.
In trying to answer the sisters question , is this a case of false humility to say " I am not worthy " ? Who knows ? If they are sincere and realize that there is none good but God , then an acknowledgement of the truth is no more than saying the truth . Jesus said , when you have done all that has been commanded you , say I am an unprofitable servant , I have only done what was commanded of me . In other words , why should I expect or look for a pat on the back for loving someone else ? As a believer in Jesus Christ , it is what we do . Would it not be like thanking a giraffe for being a giraffe. Elsewhere Paul says , He is a jew who is one inwardly , who's circumcision is of the heart and not of the flesh , whose praise is of God and not of man . Humility is of course where we must be ..Humbleness of mind somewhere the scriptures speaks ...I do overall suppose we are a very proud country here in the US ..even false humility offends us . Maybe ..Praise God is a better phrase than , I am not worthy.

W2L said:

Me too, im sad to say.

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Awww it happens to all of us. God is GOOD. In humbling us when we need it, that's how God clears out the dross. And that's so He can shine through more brightly.

He's a GOOD God. (((hug)))

W2L said:

Amen.

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Amen.

(And there have been many.)

God is GOOD.

Dave-W said:

I have been thanked and complimented by other Christians at times; and have yelled at them. Some even went away in tears.

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Is that even Scriptural? Why would you do such a thing?

brinny said:

Awww it happens to all of us. God is GOOD. In humbling us when we need it, that's how God clears out the dross. And that's so He can shine through more brightly.

He's a GOOD God. (((hug)))

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Amen brinny.

Jesus_is_our_Lord said:

Well, they are good in giving away their crowns to Jesus. But did they steal those crowns? Did they receive them by mistake? No. They deserved them, otherwise God would not have issued those crowns to the elders previously. Voluntarily gifting something to somebody does not mean that the gifter received the object without any merit. If I earned money and bought a gift to my child, this does not mean that the money I spent was not deserved.

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But it was ultimately Christ working in them. Otherwise, why did they cast their crowns down?

brinny said:

If there are times when something you posted, like a song, a Bible verse, words of encouragement, and it ministered to me and i thanked you for it, it's understood that i'm thanking and praising God, and thankful that through His inexplicable GOODNESS and grace, that He used you to minister to me, a sister in Christ, your response is a sort of celebration WITH me that God is so GOOD, yes?

We are BOTH encouraged and ministered to.

How delightful is THAT???!!!

God is GOOD, amen?

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Hi Sister ..I don't want to over think things as I am in agreement with you on words of encouragement ( when needed ) and being thankful to God . An interesting aside that is relevant ...facebook and marketers know and understand the addicting power of "an acknowledgement." It is what propels their numbers so they can claim more "eyeballs" for advertisers . This site uses it to . ( The like , agree with , hugs , etc. ) I am just stating a fact ..I used to be a professional advertiser and worked with Google in their early years and our good friends ( not ) on Madison Avenue in New York . My point is this ..we are not to be unkind but David said , Let the righteous smite me , I shall consider it a kindness ...and truly to find someone who loves you enough to be kindly critical because you are dear , is hard to find ...The righteous rejoice in the truth so I think we are excited when we see someone write something with which we agree but sadly (from personal experience ) I find the tendency to let it make me think too highly of myself . God is faithful to humble me but Boy , what a snare ! And I DO thank God for you by the way Sister and I think that is fine .

NeedyFollower said:

Hi Sister ..I don't want to over think things as I am in agreement with you on words of encouragement ( when needed ) and being thankful to God . An interesting aside that is relevant ...facebook and marketers know and understand the addicting power of "an acknowledgement." It is what propels their numbers so they can claim more "eyeballs" for advertisers . This site uses it to . ( The like , agree with , hugs , etc. ) I am just stating a fact ..I used to be a professional advertiser and worked with Google in their early years and our good friends ( not ) on Madison Avenue in New York . My point is this ..we are not to be unkind but David said , Let the righteous smite me , I shall consider it a kindness ...and truly to find someone who loves you enough to be kindly critical because you are dear , is hard to find ...The righteous rejoice in the truth so I think we are excited when we see someone write something with which we agree but sadly (from personal experience ) I find the tendency to let it make me think too highly of myself . God is faithful to humble me but Boy , what a snare ! And I DO thank God for you by the way Sister and I think that is fine .

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Yes, i can relate.

And yes, there are snares ev'ry where whew!

how easily i can get tangled up in them.

I appreciate it and am thankful when God slows my roll...it's like He stops me dead in me tracks sometimes.

Aaah, He is a GOOD Shepherd.

And i thank God for you too, brother.

hope said:

I'm struggling to figure out if I am accurate in this assessment or not, as I just cannot fathom teaching a child to not accept any compliment at all.

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I get it and I think the answer is somewhere in between. People get a bit confused in this area, and I'll touch on one reason why:

People are constantly stopping others here when they say to be good or even mention the term "good" at all. They answer with none are truly good, which of course is a quote from Christ and is true, but Christ never said we couldn't be/do good, and as a matter of fact, to the contrary. He was only getting it straight that the term Good is something that no one is 100%, or truly..completely.

Yet here he says we must be good, so if we can't be good, why does Christ expect that in order for us to get to heaven, yet we know people will go to heaven? Because we can be good, at least as good as good gets.

John 5:28-29 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

And it's also true our righteousness is like dirty rags to God, or compared to God, but that doesn't mean we have no righteousness and I do not agree with the people that are constantly reminding those who try to do right, or say we should try to be good of being no more than a dirty rag or not really "good" at all.

As you say in the OP, there is a time for building up to. I think those things we are told in the Bible are just so we can get some perspective, but not designed to make us constantly look at the ground in shame/tell ourselves or others how awful we really are.

Sometimes people do good and people should simply recognize that, tell them so, stand behind them and give them reason to tread on by doing more good tomorrow, and leave the negative out. We don't have to worry that some will get a fat head, people that try to do good know better, and they also give God all the credit, while at the same time, we/they did do something, as in have the faith and take the initiative to obey God, something that I think should be recognized. Hey, we don't get much of a reward here in this age, can we at least not treat ourselves or others like they are nothing? As OP says, God thinks we're something, something pretty important.

Getting to heaven is one heck of an accomplishment, and I think we need to honor those who dare to join in on that battle/race.

And I do realize, there are many who do treat people and themselves pretty well/have a realistic view of things, but I just though this might go along with the point the OP is putting across.

Good job. OP.

brinny said:

Yes, i can relate.

And yes, there are snares ev'ry where whew!

how easily i can get tangled up in them.

I appreciate it and am thankful when God slows my roll...it's like He stops me dead in me tracks sometimes.

Aaah, He is a GOOD Shepherd.

And i thank God for you too, brother.

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Is He not the very best Sheppard ? So many "sheep" -children ..all at different ages in their walk/growth /new birth and He has the perfect hand with all ! To know Him is to both love Him and be humbled/awed by His ....I am making up this word but I marvel at His " His-ness " I marvel at who He is and that He is God most High and our Sheppard .... I mean the creator of all things has this intimacy !

NeedyFollower said:

Is He not the very best Sheppard ? So many "sheep" -children ..all at different ages in their walk/growth /new birth and He has the perfect hand with all ! To know Him is to both love Him and be humbled/awed by His ....I am making up this word but I marvel at His " His-ness " I marvel at who He is and that He is God most High and our Sheppard .... I mean the creator of all things has this intimacy !

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Hahahaaa! I LOVE that!!!!

"His-ness"

What a DELIGHTFUL word.

It's unique, just like He is.

Yes we can celebrate His "His-ness" and be at a loss for words, and just be in awe at His "His-ness".

What a delightful meditation.

Dave-W said:

Now you are calling the writer of Hebrews AND Paul liars.

Paul writes that He "emptied himself," meaning he left ALL of his divine power aside. He had to rely on the Holy Spirit for everything just as we do. What kind of example would He have been if he had been able to use divinity to do miracles or overcome temptation, when we cannot do that?

And He was tempted in all ways.

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You can stop it with the accusations, friend.
The KJV says,

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” (Philippians 2:7).
‭‭
That does not mean “empty of divine privileges” as some Modern translations erroneously suggest. It means He did not make an open show of His own personal power. The Father and the Holy Ghost worked many miracles through Him.

I believe Jesus suppressed His divine power of Omniscience (i.e. to know all things), but He still had power and used it, too.

For Jesus had power as God during His Earthly ministry.

#1. Jesus said He has power to raise the dead to life just as the Father had power to raise the dead (John 5:21).
#2. Hebrews 1:3 talks about how Christ held all things together by the word of His power when He purged us of our sins.
#3. Jesus said, He would raise up this Temple (His body) three days later (John 2:19).
#4. Jesus had the power to forgive sins and give eternal life (Mark 2:7) (Luke 7:44-50) (John 14:6).
#5 Jesus had power to take away the sins of the entire world (John 1:29).
#6. Jesus Christ said wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them (Matthew 18:20). This was said to the people he was around and not to just us today.
#7. Jesus received worship as God (Matthew 28:9). In none of the times the Bible describes Jesus being worshiped did He ever tell them to stop, unlike with the time when Peter refused worship and the angel refused John bowing down to him (See Acts of the Apostles 10:25-26; Revelation 19:9-10). Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Colossians 1:16 says Jesus created all things. Malachi 3:6 says the Lord does not change. This means that in essence, He will always have the same power, and morality, etc.

Kenny'sID said:

I get it and I think the answer is somewhere in between. People get a bit confused in this area, and I'll touch on one reason why:

People are constantly stopping others here when they say to be good or even mention the term "good" at all. They answer with none are truly good, which of course is a quote from Christ and is true, but Christ never said we couldn't be/do good, and as a matter of fact, to the contrary. He only was getting it straight that the term Good is something that no one is 100%/truely.

Yet here he says we must be good, so if we can't be good, why does Christ expect that in order for us to get to heaven, yet we know people will go to heaven? Because we can be good, at least as good as good gets.

John 5:28-29 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

And it's also true our righteousness is like dirty rags to God, or compared to God, but that doesn't mean we have no righteousness and I do not agree with the people that are constantly reminding those who try to do right, or say we should try to be good of being no more than a dirty rag or not really "good" at all.

As you say in the OP, there is a time for building up to. I think those things we are told in the Bible are just so we can get some perspective, but not designed to make us constantly look at the ground in shame/tell ourselves or others how awful we really are.

Sometimes people do good and people should simply recognize that, tell them so, stand behind them and give them reason to tread on by doing more good tomorrow, and leave the negative out. We don't have to worry that some will get a fat head, people that try to do good know better, and they also give God all the credit, while at the same time, we/they did do something, as in have the faith and take the initiative to obey God, something that I think should be recognized. Hey, we don't get much of a reward here in this age, can we at least not treat ourselves or others like they are nothing? As OP says, God thinks we're something, something pretty important.

Getting to heaven is one heck of an accomplishment, and I think we need to honor those who dare to join in on that battle/race.

And I do realize, there are many who do treat people and themselves pretty well/have a realistic view of things, but I just though this might go along with what the point the OP is putting across.

Good job. OP.

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Good job. OP.

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I agree Kenny.

And I gotta join in and say Good job, OP.

Thank you Kenny.