 Many believe that low self-esteem leads to bad behaviors, but they also despise those with grand views of themselves. So which is preferred: Low or high self-esteem?
Let’s look at the nature of ego. Our ego focuses on ourselves. Triumph can send us to cloud 9, while insult and contempt can send us into despair. Our ego makes us compare ourselves to our neighbors, causing us frustration when we think he’s better. Our ego constantly drives us, pushing us to do more like an ever-present slave driver. But similar to a black hole, ego cannot be satisfied. Paul had incredible ability, but how was his ego? He did not care how others thought of him, or how they judged him. These are attributes of a person with high self-esteem. But Paul also did not necessarily think well of himself. He did not consider himself innocent even if he had a clear conscience (1 Corinthians 4:3-4). This is distinct from many with high self-esteem, who care a lot about how they think of themselves. Paul separated his performance from his identity. He did not think highly of himself, despite his significant accomplishments. He considered himself the worst sinner (1 Timothy 1:15), yet he didn’t beat himself up. His identity was entirely rooted in Christ. Because of what Christ had done, God found Paul good and valuable (Romans 8:1). To Paul, only Christ’s opinion of him counted (1 Corinthians 4:4). He also attributed his strength to Christ (Philippians 4:13). Learn from Paul. How others see us, and how we see ourselves, are not that important. We should not define ourselves, our identity, or our value by our performance. We are blessed children of God because of Christ. Rejoice in Him. Rely on Christ to live. Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon: https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/blessed-self-forgetfulness-5261/ 如何处理自我？ 许多人认为自卑会导致有害的行为, 但也鄙视自大的人。自卑或自大哪一个更好呢？ 让我们一起来看看自我的性质。 一个人的自我专注于他自己：胜利可以使它觉得飘飘然，而侮辱和蔑视则可以让它悲凉。 自我促使我们与邻舍比较。如果别人比我们好，这就会带来痛苦。 自我就像一个一直在身旁的奴隶主，不断地驱使我们要努力做得比以前更好。但它又像太空黑洞一样永远不能被满足。 保罗具有惊人的能力，他的自我又如何呢？ 保罗不在乎别人如何看自己，也不在乎人对他的评价。这是具有高度自尊之人的属性。 但保罗也不在乎自己如何看自己。即使问心无愧，他也不认为自己是无罪的（哥林多前书4：3-4）。这与许多自尊高的人不同，那些人都很在乎对自己的看法。 保罗把自己的表现与身份分开。尽管有重大的成就，他对自己却没有很高的评价。 相反地，他认为自己是罪人中的罪魁，但也不会自责不已（提摩太前书1:15）。 保罗的身份完全是基于基督。因基督的作为，上帝视他为良善和有价值的人（罗马书8：1）。对保罗来说，只有基督对他的意见才重要（哥林多前书4：4）。保罗认为他的力量来自基督（腓立比书4:13）。 让我们向保罗学习。人如何看我们以及我们如何看自己并非那么重要。不要通过表现来定义自己的身份和价值。我们因为基督成为神蒙福的儿女。让我们在基督里欢欣，并且倚靠基督而活。
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