It’s Not About You... or is it?

There are a few Christian sayings I don’t particularly like, such as “Everything happens for a reason,” “You’re exactly where God wants you to be,” and “It’s not about you.” It’s the last one I’m addressing in this post.

“It’s not about you.” We hear that all the time in Christian circles. (It’s even the first sentence of a best-selling Christian book.) When people, especially pastors, say this, it’s to remind us that life doesn’t solely revolve around us, our happiness, our problems and our needs. It’s supposed to remind us not to be self-centered.

That’s all well and good, but the problem I have with this statement is that it presents an either-or fallacy, in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there may be other options.

The natural alternative to “It’s not about you” is: “It’s all about God,” which causes people say things that sound spiritual on the surface like, “I’m only a tool,” and “I’m just a vessel.” Makes it sound as if we’re just a length of pipe... like God’s blessings are always on their way to someone else.

In the Old Testament, God dealt with the nation of Israel as a group, working out his purpose and plans through them, sometimes with their cooperation and sometimes without.

Under the New Covenant, God deals with the individual, re-creating us from the inside by giving us a new nature and putting his Spirit within us. Together, we compromise the church, his body on this earth.

So, here’s another option: It is about us… it’s just not all about us. It’s about us and God. After all, isn’t that the point of the gospel, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”? (Colossians 1:27)

So don’t forget, it is about you – Christ in you, that is.

Creating Value in the Workplace

Photo by fotologic

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:22-24:

In a previous post, I said that “work is the creation of value,” and I asked you what value you are creating at your work.

One of the things I do for a living is train sales people and telemarketers. By doing so, I create value by increasing sales. Increased sales means more revenue. More revenue means the company can stay in business, pay its bills and continue to employ the people it employs.

Value isn’t always about money, but it is always about increases or decreases. If you are increasing or decreasing something that your employer wants increased or decreased, then you are creating value.

So again I ask, what value you are creating?

Jesus and Your Job, by Nancy Ortberg

Colossians 3:22-24 says:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Work is the creation of valve. What value are you creating?

The following sermon, “Jesus and Your Job,” given by Nancy Ortberg at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, addresses that very issue.

The direct link to the page containing the video, which also includes a downloadable transcript, a study guide and an audio MP3, can be found here.

Wanting What You Have or Having What You Want?

My friend the communist
Holds meetings in his RV
I can’t afford his gas
So I’m stuck here watching TV

I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It’s not having what you want
It's wanting what you’ve got

So croons Sheryl Crow in her hit song, “Soak Up the Sun.”

There was a time about 15 years ago when I was dying to have a computer. PC’s were becoming the norm, but the majority of households, including mine, were without one. My main reason for wanting one was, like today, I did a prolific amount of studying and writing. I found that I was filling notebooks full of sermons (having no idea what I was to use them for). But I knew that a computer would be a terrific help.

It wasn’t until a few years later, when I finally changed careers to do what I’d always wanted to do – graphic design – that having a computer became more of a necessity. You see, at the time, the graphics industry was beginning to make the transition into digital, and Macintosh was the computer of choice in the industry. So fresh out of design school, I bought my first computer: a Mac Quadra with a whopping 36 megabytes of RAM! (I even ordered it with an “upgraded” hard drive of 500 megabytes.)

Today, I own an iPod with 16 times the disk space, but at the time it felt like I had a souped-up Chevy big block under the hood.

But a few years after getting this first computer, something strange happened… computers got faster, and having 36 MB of RAM was no longer impressive – it was laughable. And I began running out of space on that 500 MB hard drive. So I needed more…

So here’s my question. Is “Wanting What You Have or Having What You Want” an either-or proposition? Or is it a fallacy, suggesting that there are only two possible choices, when three or more really exist?

Here’s what I mean. After the decision was made to get a new computer, the shortcomings of my current one loomed even larger in my mind. I found myself disparaging my now-obsolete old friend. Gone were the days when I was “dying” to have a computer, any old computer. I wanted more and I was getting what I wanted. And as each passing day brought the arrival of my new beauty closer, the more my distain grew towards my old companion.

Now, according to the either-or mindset of “Wanting What You Have or Having What You Want,” I was definitely over-indulging in “Having What You Want.” But at some point, I came to my senses and realized what I was doing. I remembered how it was when I didn’t have any computer, and I realized that my attitude had become that of a spoiled, ungrateful child. Yet, I didn’t just switch over to the other side of “Wanting What You Have,” and decide just to keep my old computer. Instead I began exploring a third option, outside of the “either-or” fallacy. I asked whether there was such a thing as healthy discontent – that is, being grateful for what you have, yet still desiring more. And by “more,” I’m not necessarily referring to more possessions, more money, etc. But more in life.

What I began to realize was that it was okay to want a more up-to-date computer, but that it wasn’t okay to have such an ungrateful attitude towards anything I possessed, even a computer. So I began to thank God and tell him how grateful I was to even have a computer.

I know this probably seems shallow. (That age-old classic, “Finish your dinner; don’t you know there’s staving people in China?” comes to mind.) And I can easily justify feeling appropriately guilty knowing two-thirds of the world’s population lives without basic necessities, much less have a computer. Yet, must I be in a continual state of guilt, just because I’m blessed? It sounds very spiritual, but is it, really?

The Economics of Self Worth - Part 4

In a previous post, I suggested that we replace the secular idea of self-esteem and self-worth with the Biblical concept of humility and righteousness. Based on what we’ve covered so far, here’s my working definition of humility:

An accurate appraisal of our own worth, based on knowing our true position before God.

Regarding righteousness, I said that 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that we have become the righteousness of God, that “righteousness” means equitable, and for that reason we have equity (value, worth).

Anyone who owns or has owned a home ought to understand the principle of equity. It’s simply the difference between the market value of your property and your indebtedness (i.e., mortgage). If I put $10,000 down on a $150,000 home, I have very little equity, because I owe the bank $140,000. If, over the course of time, home values go up, I may end up with a house worth $200,000. So my equity in that house is now $60,000 instead of $10,000.

Equity can also represent your net worth, which is the difference between what you owe and what you own. So, financially speaking, equity entails both ownership and value. We have value because God owns us; he has set his seal of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor 1:22). Spiritually speaking, we have incredible net worth. We’re Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Donald Trump combined!

Equity also represents an investment. The only reason I have $10,000 equity in that house is because I’ve invested that amount as a deposit. In the same manner, God “put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit.” Romans 4:3 says that Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (i.e., equity), and that God will also credit righteousness for us as well (v. 23-24).

Like us, Abraham’s spiritual net worth was zero – he owned nothing and was in debt up to his eyeballs. So God credited his spiritual bank account by paying off his debt, foreshadowing what Jesus would do for us through his death and resurrection (Gal 3:6-8).

But, suppose this payment of debt also represents an investment in us on God’s part. No one invests in something and expects nothing in return, and Scripture is clear that we ought to produce fruit. Suppose the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 represents everything God’s given us – not just our talents, but also spiritual power and authority? If he’s invested his equity (i.e., righteousness) in us, does he expect us to use it to produce a return on his investment? And if so, what?

But that’s a topic for another post.

The Economics of Self Worth - Part 3

In my previous post, I said that secular psychology tells us that we must find self-esteem within ourselves, that “self-esteem is not given or obtained from external things.” In fact, psychologists believe that feelings of worthlessness come from outside of ourselves (what others have told us), and that they are incorrect (because we really are worthy and good, after all).

I know it sounds like they are contradicting themselves, but they’re not – they’ve just got it backwards. They’re saying that the problem (low self-esteem/low self-worth) originates from outside ourselves, but the solution (positive self-esteem/self-worth) is found within ourselves.

Actually, the exact opposite is true. The problem of low self-esteem/low self-worth originates from within. According to Romans 3:8-9 and other verses, we really are worthless, and at some level, we all know it.

Since the problem is within us (or more accurately, the problem is us), then the solution must come from somewhere outside of us.

Let me make it clear that our worth is not found in ourselves. The idea of self-worth is an oxymoron. It would be like Paris Hilton telling herself that she’s a self-made millionaire, just so she can feel better about herself. In the same manner, telling yourself you have worth or value (or teaching our children to have “healthy” self esteem) is actually self-righteousness. And calling someone “self-righteous” is not considered a compliment.

Self-worth is an oxymoron because our worth is found in our righteousness, which doesn’t come from ourselves – it comes from God. Here’s how:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21)

And:

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (Rom 3:22)

In other words, by dying the sinner’s death we deserved, Jesus took our sin upon himself and gave us his righteousness, and we receive it through faith.

Romans 5:19 says that through the obedience of Jesus (i.e., his death on the cross), “the many” (that’s us) will be “made righteous.” The word righteous can also be translated “innocent” or “equitable.” All of these words are adjectives, and one of the things an adjective does is describe, or modify, a noun. According to Ephesians 2:3-5, we were by nature objects of wrath. But now, we’ve been made the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). In other words, we’ve been modified!

The second thing an adjective does is expresses an attribute of something. Now, an attribute is a characteristic or quality. We all have physical characteristics, such tall or short, blond or brunette. We also have certain characteristics of our personality (i.e., our soul), such as serious or funny, outgoing or shy. These are part of who we are, our nature.

But remember, we are three-part beings. Beside a body and a soul, we also have a spirit – our human spirit. Because we are righteous, our spirit has the attribute or characteristic of righteousness.

What does this have to do with self worth? Everything, because your spirit is the “real you.” Paul put it like this:

I know there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do good but I do not. I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I am always doing the sinful things I do not want to do. If I am always doing the very thing I do not want to do, it means I am no longer the one who does it. It is sin that lives in me. (Rom 7:18-20, New Life Version)

Paul knew that the “I” he spoke of, his spirit man, was not the one sinning. Your soul either obeys your flesh or it obeys your spirit. (Galatians 5:17 says that the flesh and the Holy Spirit dwelling within you are at war with one another.) But neither the Holy Spirit, nor your spirit, nor your flesh can will you to act. They can only communicate their desires to your mind. (This is why it’s so important to renew your mind, in order to not be deceived by your flesh and/or the devil.) Your mind ultimately decides what to do and communicates that to your will, which enables you to act. The Holy Spirit communicates (fellowships) with your human spirit. But Satan has access to us through our flesh. In that way, he is a counterfeit Holy Spirit, but an unholy one!

This means that the real you is not the one who is sinning. If we base our worth on how well or not-so-well we behave, we’re in trouble, because the former leads to self righteousness, and the latter leads to self condemnation. Neither one is an accurate assessment of how God sees you or values you. God relates to you through grace, that is, he accepts you on the basis of what Jesus did, and not what you do. In other words, you can’t do anything to improve your status or standing with God, because you are right-eous. You have “right” standing with God, not “wrong” standing!

Want more? Go to Part 4.

The Economics of Self Worth - Part 2

Psychologists define self-esteem as:

“A person’s overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth”

And self-worth is defined as:

“The quality of being worthy of esteem”

But in a world where absolute truth has become subjective, there’s no longer an anchor upon which to rest our worth or value. Having taken God out of the equation, the vacuum has been filled with numerous philosophies about the nature of Man. On one extreme, there’s what’s popularly known as “secular humanism,” in which Man, as the pinnacle of evolution, has no need of God and determines his own destiny.

The other extreme is what I’ll call secular environmentalism, best expressed by the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, which describes the human race as “a greedy, amoral parasite on the once-healthy face of this planet,” and that the creator-god “realized his mistake in making humans and was going to flush us from the system, but in a weak moment he spared one breeding family. Oops! (Genesis 6:5-6).” The group advocates “voluntarily refraining from procreation.” Talk about low self-esteem!

In a certain sense, both views are Biblically correct. While the humanists recognize that we are created in the image of God, and the environmentalists recognize that we are a fallen race, neither one has the complete picture. The humanist view could be compared to my Carl Yastrzemski baseball card in my previous post who, unaware that he was only worth $29.95, tried to boost his self-esteem by telling himself he was worth “at least $200.” And the environmentalist view is akin to my Willie Mays card who thought he was worth far less than the $198 he turned out to be. Both views have an inaccurate estimation of our worth.

To get to the truth of the matter, I’m going to suggest that we replace the secular idea of self-esteem and self-worth with the Biblical concept of humility and righteousness.

There are plenty of definitions of humility, but here’s one that I think works:

The attitude of the Christian that suggests one should not “...think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment…” (Rom. 12:3). It is knowing our true position before God. It is not self-abasement or demeaning one’s self.

I like that. So, true humility, the Biblical equivalent of self-esteem, would be “an accurate appraisal of our own worth, based on knowing our true position before God.” Warren Wiersbe writes that “poor in spirit” means:

…to be humble, to have a correct estimate of oneself (Ro 12:3). It does not mean to be “poor spirited” and have no backbone at all! “Poor in spirit” is the opposite of the world’s attitudes of self-praise and self-assertion. It is not a false humility that says, “I am not worth anything, I can’t do anything!” It is honesty with ourselves: we know ourselves, accept ourselves, and try to be ourselves to the glory of God. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

But from where or from whom am I to get this correct estimate of myself? If only I, like my baseball cards, could turn to some mystical catalog that tells me: “John, you are valued at $$$.”

Ahh, but there is. That’s where the concept of righteousness enters the equation.

The word righteous is also translated equitable, meaning: “having or exhibiting equity,” and: “characterized by equity.” Righteousness or equity is a thing that we possess as a characteristic or attribute of our new nature (see 2 Cor 5:21, Rom 3:22, Rom 5:19). Notice that at the beginning of this post, I said that psychologists define self-worth as the quality of being worthy. (The words quality, characteristic, and attribute can be used interchangeably.) Here’s how it works: Because of 2 Corinthians 5:21, we have become the righteousness of God; therefore, we are equitable – that is, we have equity (value, worth) and we are “characterized by equity.”

Now that I know this, I can have an “accurate appraisal of my own worth.” I don’t have to lie to myself with positive affirmations, and I don’t need to depreciate myself or believe, like bent-corner Willie, that I’m somehow defective and worth little. I only need to read and believe what my Bible says about me.

Low self-esteem and poor self-worth come from our fallen nature. We feel as though we lack worth because we do! We are worthy or valuable only because God has given us his righteousness.

And that’s how humility and righteousness work together.

Go to Part 3.

The Economics of Self Worth - Part 1

I have a collection of baseball cards that I’ve had since I was about nine. Recently, however, I’ve began to notice some peculiar things about them. It seems that my Leo Durocher card thinks he’s worth a whole lot more than the rest of the cards (after all, he was ranked fifth all-time among managers!) and he never misses an opportunity to let all the other “player” cards know it.

Meanwhile, Willie Mays constantly compares himself to the other cards and imagines that he’s worth much less than Don Sutton or Pete Rose, because he has a bent corner (whereas Don and Pete are in pristine condition). And then there’s poor Carl Yastrzemski, who’s become so fed up with Leo’s arrogant attitude that he decided to improve his self esteem with positive affirmations. So, each morning and evening, he stares at himself in the mirror and says things like, “I am an important and valuable card with no bent corners, and I deserve to feel good about myself. I am worth at least $200!” Strangely enough, Carl has begun to believe this about himself and, as a result, has been standing up to Leo’s verbal bullying. It would seem that Carl now has “positive self-esteem.”

Well, I finally got fed up with the situation and decided to settle the matter once and for all, so I took the whole set down to a local card collectible shop. The kid behind the counter opened a catalog that told me exactly what each card was worth.

Poor Carl was devastated to find out that, in spite of telling himself he was worth “at least $200,” he was only worth $29.95. (The only consultation was that Leo was worth even less!) Bent-corner Willie turned out to be the most valuable card in the bunch, worth nearly $200! But, sadly, it was too late, for he’d spent the past 40 years suffering from “low self esteem.” Alas, the damage had already been done.

---

The story you’ve just read is mostly fiction. Yes, I do own a baseball card collection (including a 1969 Willie Mays with a bent corner); but, no, I am not hallucinating – my cards are not talking to one another or bickering over who’s worth more.

Perhaps you’ve already seen through my thinly-veiled parable. Just like I watched and marveled as my card collection agonized and bickered about their self-worth, so must God look down from heaven and do the same with us.

In the end, it didn’t matter that my Carl Yastrzemski card told himself he was worth “at least $200” or even that he believed it – because believing a lie doesn’t make it true. The bottom line was that, when I sold him off, he was worth less than 30 dollars. Likewise, believing that he was worth far less than the others didn’t change the fact that bent-corner Willie was actually worth a lot more. You see, both Willie and Carl had an inaccurate estimation of their own worth, and they lived their lives based on that lie.

In my upcoming posts, I’m about to tackle the rather complex topic of self-esteem and self-worth and look at whether or not it has a place in the body of Christ. Christian author and psychologist Dr. James Dobson has clearly embraced the concept. His book, The New Hide or Seek, is described on Amazon as providing “a new generation of parents with practical pointers for building self-esteem in their children.” Yet others in the body of Christ have harshly criticized his views, calling it “The Gospel of Self Esteem.” While I take issue with some of Dr. Dobson’s views, my intent is not to join their chorus, but to search for the truth – Biblically speaking, that is.

Stay tuned for Part 2…

“MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA”

If you're like me — and you have kids — then you teach them to respect authority. But your high-schooler is having trouble with his math teacher, whom he feels doesn't like him and unfairly criticizes him. You've spoken with his math teacher and you're not sure if that's really the case, or if it's because math isn't your son's favorite subject. You suspect that the source of your son's trouble is that he's not paying attention in class. So you tell your him to to respect his teacher's authority and to focus more in class.

Then, one day you discover that your son has joined a Facebook group from his high school called:

DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE TEACHER IS MR. O'HARA, MY MATH TEACHER. AMEN.

Would you think it's funny?

Yet, many of us have been laughing at a similar Facebook page about President Obama.

Guilty As Charged

Okay, I have to admit that when I first read this, I thought it was funny, too. In fact, I continued to think (and chuckle) about it even the next morning — that is, until the Holy Spirit quickly checked me and showed me that this is not a laughing matter.

He reminded me that God is pretty serious on the subject of authority and about honoring that authority. Here are a few scriptures that make my point:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. - Romans 13:1

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. - 1 Peter 2:12-14

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. - 1 Peter 2:17

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. - Romans 13:6-8

If Respect, Then Respect; If Honor, Then Honor

So, it seem that God wants us to respect and honor authority. Unfortunately, like it or not, this includes our president.

When George Bush was president, I was appalled by the level of disrespect he received in the press and as a whole from the general population. In one online forum, the people there claimed that he was more hated than Hitler. On a poll on the liberal website Democratic Underground, members voted George Bush "the most hated person in the world," winning 94% of the votes. (Following a close second was Osama Bin Laden, with 6% of the vote.)

An oped piece on OpEdNews.Com says this about President Bush:

"It is tragic that such a small majority of active American voters have been able to create such a vile, reprehensible untouchable who most certainly is the most hated, most loathed man in the history of the world."

And the Gateway Pundit blog reported that Bush was boo'd as he took the stage at the Presidential inauguration last year, and a section of the crowd began chanting, "Nah nah nah nah, hey hey, good-bye."

If things like this upset you, then how is joining a denegrating Facebook group or constantly complaining about the current President any different? Isn't it dishonoring and disrespecting his God-given authority, just like the Bush-haters did? How can we expect our children to honor, respect and submit to authority (include our authority) when we do not?

But What About Freedom Of Speech?

The First Amendment guantees us the right to freedom of speech and, as Americans, we're accustomed to exercising it. Yet what happens when our "rights" as Americans butt up against the Kingdom of God?

Author John Bevere says that, as Americans, we will never understand Kingdom principles if we try to approach them with a democratic mindset. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." So do we exercise our "rights" as Americans, or do we submit to the authority of the Kingdom where our true citizenship lies? Could it be that the current state of our economy may, in part, have something to do with how we, as Americans, have so dishonored and disrespected the previous President? How can we expect things to get any better if we, as Christians, carry out this deplorable tradition with the current President?

The author I mentioned earlier, John Bevere, has written a book entitled Honor's Reward, in which he talks about this subject in greather depth. He has a 3-part series as mp3 downloads available on his website. I highly recommend it.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. -1 Timothy 2:1-2