Title: The Ridiculous Me / Topic: Humility

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 16; Proverbs 17; Proverbs 18; Romans 12

Scripture: Romans 12:3-5
3 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 measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Observation: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought..." These words of the Apostle Paul are so contrary to the spirit of our age. I was contrasting them with the attitude of some of the contestants I've seen recently on reality TV shows. Whether it is dancing or singing, so many people who have little or no talent truly seem to think that they are extraordinarily gifted. We have created a culture (with the help of the so-called self-esteem movement) that praises mediocrity and idolizes children as heroes just for being children. What a bunch of bunk. The focus on individual rights, privileges, and accomplishments has created an army of narcissistic, selfish, demanding, prima donnas who contribute little or nothing to the betterment of the human race.

Application: The key in this verse as I see it is to understand that we aren't alone -- "each member belongs to all the others." Of course, this is in the context of belonging to Christ and his body, the church. This automatically creates a sense of obligation and responsibility to others. Therefore, my individual success apart from the group is not true success. For me to succeed, the entire group must succeed. This keeps me from a self focus that promotes the inappropriate self-image that Paul warns against: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment."

Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you have placed me into a family that helps me to stay grounded in you and connected to others. Help me to make a great contribution by my life to the success of others.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.