Recognizing Who's Special

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:3-5 NIV)

A survey of freshmen several years ago revealed what continues to be a long-term trend with recent high school graduates—they tend to think very highly of themselves in terms of their abilities and potential.

In the world of social media, this has only increased the narcissistic tendencies, not only of this latest generation, but in all of us.  Every Facebook post, every tweet, and every Instagram photo we post gains us the immediate attention of dozens to hundreds of people.  The focus continually is on us and it is increasingly more difficult to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.  

Yet, in this social media saturated world in which we find ourselves, Paul’s warning is a much-needed one.  Thinking about ourselves in terms of who we are compared to the Lord, and who we are to be in the Body of Christ is a necessary exercise to induce humility.  Compared to the Almighty God, we are nothing.  And given that we are His creatures means we are no more special than the next person.  He has created us for a purpose, but that purpose is one which fits into His overall will, which is achieved by all who are called by His Name.  In other words, it is God who is special, not us.  

This goes directly against the cultural current in which we live and it will not be easy to extricate ourselves from its grip, but it is something we must seek to do.  For God gives His glory to no one.  All eyes are to be focused on Him.  When our glory becomes more important than His, we are indeed wading in dangerous waters.  

Today, think of yourself with sober judgment.  Recognize the only one special in this world, or the universe, is the Lord.  You indeed have your place in it, but only by His will.  But if you think about it, that’s pretty special.

© Jim Musser 2018