Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and easy to justify. We hide it behind dignity and poise. The sins connected to this weakness aren't quite as severe as those associated with pride, gluttony, and lust. But it can eventually lead up to some serious problems. And it can keep us from becoming an instrument of Christ.
The solution (humility) might be one of the most difficult virtues to master, but John the Baptist seems to have had a pretty good handle on it. Here's the guy who baptized Christ, and later sends his own followers away because he knows his time is over. So what was his secret? How do we stop worrying about our own worldly d?cor, and start the journey to becoming Christ's hand maid? The answer is self-love.
It might not sound like part of our Christian philosophy, but with the proper back drop, you can maintain selflessness and self-love in a co-existing format. How? By knowing our own self-worth, where our value comes from, and how to improve it.
So what are we worth? Let's start with the simple fact that we're creations of God. And since God doesn't make trash, that says pretty much for us. Now look at the fact that Christ Himself became man, suffered, and dies for us. Wow! That raises the value pot even more. We're actually worth the life of God.
Why are we so valuable? Because God made us. That's it. There's nothing more. All that we've accomplished, our assets, and our actions mean absolutely nothing. In other words, our nice house, perfect hair, & stylish clothing are worthless. Our career and community stature are meaningless. Even our good and charitable works do nothing to make us better.
This almost answers the next question. 'How do we improve ourselves?' But it only almost answers it, because it doesn't address the fact that God not only created us, but continues to work through us. So even though we can't improve ourselves at all, we can let God do it. Give Him control, and He'll make us better, reject Him, and our value will drop.
So by knowing, and loving ourselves, and desiring to make ourselves better, we can forget about the worldly illusions of greatness. We can overcome the vanity that might keep God from acting through us.
Written by Eric Engel at http://copyforsale.com, where you can find free content for your Christian newsletters and websites.
no-contract cleaning service Des Plaines ..Spiritual stuff is a hard sell Roy and one of... Read More
What power do we hold individually in the midst of... Read More
If you have a longing to connect with something higher,... Read More
Catch the express or the super fast bullet train. If... Read More
Imagine for a moment. It's Tuesday night about 7pm. You... Read More
How do we feel the fullness of life itself?We have... Read More
Last Saturday, the children were down at their grandparent's house... Read More
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls... Read More
Angels are making their presence felt everywhere. Once I started... Read More
A new chapter in my life begins today, the anniversary... Read More
Several months ago, I read an... Read More
I have discovered as I grow older in Christ Jesus... Read More
Divining Rods, also known as Dowsing Rods, have been used... Read More
Following are 17 questions that can be used as a... Read More
What's a cosmic 2 x 4 you ask? It's actually... Read More
Ephesians 4:4-6 indicates that Christians ought to practice one single... Read More
Heaven is a place of abundance and earth is a... Read More
It is important and necessary that we regularly spend time... Read More
Did you happen to see the made-for-tv movie, "Jesus," that... Read More
In our fast paced society we often want everything done... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
I was reminiscing with a friend recently about his 'dark... Read More
What better example than Jesus' life to explain about having... Read More
Have you ever wondered how much faith you really have?... Read More
An act of selflessness is the highest expression of selfishness... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Lake Forest ..Those of us, who are familiar with Apostle Paul's sermon... Read More
Many of us have been taught that it is wrong... Read More
Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?"... Read More
Everything in the entire universe, big and small, visible and... Read More
As you will see I the Scripture verse I will... Read More
Make no mistake about it, change is challenging whether it... Read More
What's the difference? How are we supposed to tell the... Read More
1. The name Uriel means "Light of God" or "Flame... Read More
Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now. I found God. Now... Read More
Universal Law is an invisible influence in every individual's life,... Read More
Let's say that you have discovered your purpose but you... Read More
Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More
The Kundalini is a pool of energy that lies dormant... Read More
There is a chronology of events from creation to the... Read More
The Bible tells us that we need to be led... Read More
Most of life can be said to be bad, or... Read More
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.... Read More
While I do hope to avoid arguing the merits or... Read More
There's a lot of talk about angels these days. They're... Read More
Behold, a certain young maiden did often times and at... Read More
I was reminiscing with a friend recently about his 'dark... Read More
There was this TV commercial a couple of years back... Read More
No one appreciates mothers enough. In this life, that's a... Read More
Matthew 3:1-3 The Preaching of John the Baptist1 In those... Read More
I am not saying this because I am in need,... Read More
Spirituality |