“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” Psalm 139: 13-15

To
be honest, I never had a self-esteem or self-confidence issue.
Actually, I was the opposite…I knew I was the cat’s meow (very corny, I
know). I was too full of myself, and honestly believed that I was
better than others- but forget me. I want to talk to somebody out there
reading this. Are you always putting yourself down? Are you listening
to and believing the lies of the enemy telling you that you’ll never
amount to anything worthwhile? Maybe you have a child with low
self-esteem, or know someone who feels worthless. If you do… please
tell them, and keep telling them (or yourself) that God’s character
goes into the creation of every person. Self-rejection, feeling
worthless, hating yourself – they have to be one of the worst types of
mental torture, if not the worst.

Now…what did Jesus command us to do? He told us to love others as we love ourselves. Love ourselves—verse
14 from Psalm 139 says God’s workmanship is marvelous! God says that we
are the apple of His eye! And the very hairs on our head are all
numbered!

It’s interesting to know that those who
focus on others rather than themselves rarely suffer from low
self-esteem, which brings us to loving others. 1 John 3: 16-19 says it
best…

“We know what real love
is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up
our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to
live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no
compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s
not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our
actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will
be confident when we stand before God.“

If we pick
apart the verses, what exactly is John saying by “giving up our lives”
for our brothers and sisters? The answer is simple, but many times it’s
easier said than done. “Giving up our lives” essentially means giving
to others without expecting anything in return. Here’s the hard part
(I’m working on this too)… putting someone else’s desires and needs
before your own. If we further dissect this scripture, we see it’s not
just about money. It’s about compassion. We should take inventory and
ask ourselves if we’re doing the best we can to really love others. Are
we generous with our money, possessions, and TIME?

With
that said… Don’t beat yourself up and think that you aren’t living good
enough for the Lord. Did you know when John originally wrote this, my
Bible Commentary tells me that many were afraid that they didn’t love
others as they should. They felt guilty and thought that they weren’t
doing enough good to show proper love to Christ. Their consciences
bothered them. John had these people in mind when he wrote this letter,
so just know that we are in good company. Even now, I’m sitting here
rehearsing things in my mind, and my conscience is accusing me, and I
know yours probably is to. How do we escape these gnawing accusations
from our consciences? Not by rationalizing our behavior or ignoring
them, but by setting our heart on God’s love. When we feel guilty, we
have to remind ourselves that God knows our motives and actions. His
voice of assurance is stronger than the accusing voice of our
conscience. If we are in Christ, He will not condemn us…

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” Romans 8: 1

You
may believe that you have to work hard to make yourself good enough for
God. By Jesus’ blood alone (1) We have our conscience cleansed (2) we
are free from death’s sting and can live to serve God (3) we are freed
from sin’s power. If you’re carrying a load of guilt, because you are
finding that you can’t be good enough for God, take another look at
Jesus’ death and what it means for you. That old devil is up to his
tricks again… Christ can heal your conscience and deliver you from the
frustration of trying to earn God’s favor.

“Just
think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences
from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the
power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect
sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new
covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive
the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set
them free from the penalty of sins they had committed under that first
covenant.”
Hebrews 14-15

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About Lori Laws

Lori Laws lives in Bethlehem, PA with her husband, Michael.  She is running the race of faith in the midst of a Muscle Disease.  Writing about her life experiences lets others know that God is indeed in the details.

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