Not Too High, nor Too Low.

To be a narcissist is to think too highly of yourself. A narcissist is one who is overboard in their love with themselves. It is a dis-ordered self love or extreme selfishness. This seems to be encouraged and promoted in our culture. Afterall, it does help people insulate themselves from all the negative factors in the world. Most people should love us, because we are so great. If they don’t it is their problem.

We can also think too lowly of ourselves. However, in relation to God, we fall enormously short. This is what God says of mankind in the Bible, ““The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) God is saying that at the core of our being, without Christ, we are desperately corrupt. If you don’t know the grace and love of God this is most difficult to accept. When we know the love of God, we can face this reality and come to saving faith and peace in joy in a love relationship with the loving Father. His grace overcomes our corruption in the cross. This occurs initially as we are born again of His Spirit and progressively as we grow in grace and knowledge.

Even though this is man’s condition, God offers us a remedy. That remedy is found only in Jesus Christ and in and through Him we can receive a new heart, a new orientation a new foundation based on His character. This is what the Christian’s identity is based on and as Christians need to walk in this truth. God’s word says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26) It is a heart that becomes responsive to God and able to enter fully into God’s goodness and grace.

The Christian has a confidence, but it is confidence based on Christ’s righteousness and God’s righteousness credited to our account. (2 Corinthians 5:21) These characteristics are not based on our goodness, but God’s. There is no room for pride. Salvation and Christians growth is all because of Him. Of course, in Christian growth we need to co-operate with Him. There is however, much room for encouragement and appreciation of each other as Christians and of others that do well.

The world says that you shouldn’t think of yourself as described in Jeremiah 17:9, as desperately corrupt before God. They would say that you don’t need God, just build yourself up. Create your own self-image to survive well in the world. You are good, you can do things or anything you really want. You can become whatever you want. Man at his core is good. (In contrast see also Romans 3:10-18)

There is power in positive thinking and you can accomplish things with a positive attitude, but it doesn’t matter if it is based on a lie, or on a lack of reality? Positive thinking that is based on a lie is to live in a fantasy world where we slap each other on the back and tell ourselves and others how good we are and how we can accomplish things and get through the day. One day that lie will be exposed, and those without Christ when they die or when Jesus returns will come face to face with reality. As God’s word says in Revelation 6:15-17: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

We as Christians should not think too lowly of ourselves. We are loved by the person who really matters, God. Sure, it is His righteousness and goodness within us, but in Christ we become our true selves and leave our false self behind. He restores our true image in God. We have a lot of room for growth, but we have a power within in Christ to overcome sin, in the interior and exterior of our lives and to walk in the fulness of life. We have a deep interior peace and joy, even though at times we struggle and falter. He is able to do in us and though us “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20) Trust in God and faith in Him are essentials to experiencing God daily in His fulness. (Ephesians 3:19) Christians can be the most positive people on earth.

Where do we find our self-esteem. It is in our accomplishments or how we look, or our intelligence, or our people smarts, or just because we are a human being. These come and go and never satisfy, except of course being a human being, and it only leaves us for looking for more. However, God’s love endures forever and we as Christians find our self-esteem in Him, a sure foundation. The Apostle Paul writing to the Philippian church from jail because of His testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ said: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phillipians 4:11-13)

The Apostle Paul knew what it was to enjoy God even in jail. This scripture, as often applied, does not primarily mean that God will bless the Christian in whatever enterprise he or she is involved in, but the emphasis is on being in service to God and the doing and accepting of God’s will and trusting Him in the process.

We certainly don’t want to walk in pride. Pride is just a big cover up. We also don’t want to be overly scrupulous and downgrading of ourselves, since this is often just an excuse and not honoring to God. This is what God says in His word, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).