Self-esteem

[Carico]

Secular society believes in self-esteem which teaches us to boast instead of be honest about our wrongdoings so we can receive the forgiveness from God. But Jesus tells us that only the truth will set us free and he's right. Self-esteem is therefore actually, narcissism, and humility is honesty.

He also tells us "He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted." He's also right again because once we admit the worst about ourselves, there's nothing to fear! We have hit bottom.

And because we're forgiven for the worst about ourselves, we can go no lower. We can only go higher. This frees us from self-deception, denial of our sins the need to impress others, the need to show how intelligent, talented, or good-looking we are, and the need to boast.

But if we put ourselves on pedastels and boast about ourselves, we can only go lower because someone will always try to knock us down. But humility comes from honesty and honesty frees us from having to impress others or get their approval, or self-deception. So the truth does set us free indeed. And the only reason we are lovable is because God freely forgives us for everything we've ever done wrong. There is now never any reason for self-hate which is why the bible tells us; "For now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

 

[praying]

the need to impress others, the need to show how intelligent, talented, or good-looking we are, and the need to boast.

But if we put ourselves on pedastels and boast about ourselves, we can only go lower because someone will always try to knock us down.

Self-esteem has nothing at all to do with impressing others, or putting yourself on a pedastal and everything to do with realizing your own self worth. For a Christian this means being able to realize and take full advantgae of the fact that no matter what God loves us and wants the best for us. It allows us to move forward in life both spiritually and non-spiritually.

There is now never any reason for self-hate which is why the bible tells us; "For now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Agreed but knowing and believing it to put it in practice require self-esteem.

 

[Jesusfreak4life8629]

 

[Rafael]

Luke 9:23-25 Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?

We are supposed to come to an end of "self" and find our esteem in Christ by seeing His Spirit work through us to accomplish true life with these vessels we are given.
When the scripture speaks of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, well, what kind of love would that be in all practicality? The Bible says that no man hates his own flesh, but nourishes it and cares for it just like Christ cares for His church....(Ephesians 5:29) So then, the love we have for ourselves, that we should provide to our neighbor, is the basic and practical love that Jesus inquires about when He returns as King - "Did you feed me when I was hungry? Did you clothe me when I was naked? Did you visit me when I was sick? Did you give me shelter even when I was a stranger?" (Matt. 25:31-45).
The healthy love we to have for self is the practical love we are to give all people as a debt owed to all men according to God, but having warm fuzzy feelings of how big or good we are are just illusions of grandeur when we should all be quite honored and happy with the life God gives to us each as special individuals created by Him. Instead, how often to we spend our lives full of pride, envy, and vanity, trying to look like the idols put constantly before us by the world - trying to be like someone else? The scriptures tell us that envy is a very destructive thing to have, and the world is constantly trying to press us into an unhappy mold of not being satisfied with the way we look or feel about ourselves - with what God has given us to work on. Being envious of others and not happy with what God has given leads to the death of what God intended as His good will towards our lives. We need to be set free from selfish ambition and become alive to Christ and the immeasurable great worth He puts upon our lives. It does not matter what the world thinks of our outer beauty or worth. It is the inner man or woman that changes from good to better, from "glory to glory", through God's Spirit that God sees and we should desire in our lives (2Cor. 3:18). His Spirit produces wonderful fruit in our lives of love, peace, kindness, - things that are listed in Galatians 5:22, 23 with "envy" listed right before as one of the fruits of the life spent upon the selfish life controlled by the flesh and its sinful nature (Gal. 5:19-21).
When we put away "self" and reckon it dead, as the sciptures tells us, we start to really live and be content. Self esteem is no longer an issue and becomes less because we have found ourselves to be worth more than gold and precious beyond measure to God who has loved us with His own life's blood in the flesh of Jesus our Savior.

Ro 6:11 So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.

Ga 2:20 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2Co 3:18 And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.

 

[Endure2]

Carico

.........
i feel like you left hand prints all over my face....

and id like to say alot of things to you and about your post.
but i wont...becuase then id be no diffrent than you.
i feel like you dragged people like me through the mud calling us all kinds of names (selfish? conceited? narcicistic?)to appease yourself...and me blowing up and yelling at you as smartly as i could would be doing the same thing...

hmmmmph.

once we admit the worst about ourselves, there's nothing to fear

what you fail to understand is we have self esteem and it allows to know and admit the worst about ourselves...and we love ourselves anyway.

its no diffrent than me loving my child when he fails or me standing up for him when hes threatened, refusing to let him be abused....
and I apply that same love to myself, that SAME love.
its not selfishness at all.

just becuase people are diffrent than you...doesnt mean theres darkness in them somewhere.