Lovers of Self?
2009-12-02
For those of you who don't know this yet, it snowed in north central Texas this morning. A lot. For a couple of hours. Of course it all melted really fast, because it never got below freezing, and it's been mostly in the 50s for the past few weeks. It was still beautiful, though.
My Psalm for today is Psalm 119:128. Only one verse today.
The Psalmist tells God that he honors all of his words. He hates anything that distracts him from the true path.
Calvin comments on our nature: "There is nothing to which we are naturally more inclined than to despise or reject whatever in God's law is not aggreable to us. Every man, according as he is tainted with this or that particular vice, would desire that the commandment which forbids it were razed out of the law. But we cannot lawfully make any additions to it, or take away anything from it; and since God has joined his commandments together by a sacred and inviolable bond, to separate any one of them from the rest is altogether unwarrantable."
Today's reading from Tabletalk Magazine speaks of how being "lovers of self" is a major root from which many evils emerge. Being lovers of self is the first quality in a list that Paul gives in 2 Timothy 3:2-5, which breaks down the difficulties that the church is going to face during the "last days." "When love is misdirected toward the self and not the Lord, only sin follows, which cautions us against some manifestations of the modern self-esteem movement." Paul also cautions the Church against allowing such people to influence it.
Personally, I've never bought into the whole "self-esteem" movement. It sure sells a lot of books, though. My "self-esteem" is found in Jesus, not in any physical or mental quality I might have.
Father, I pray that you increase my love for your word, daily. I desire to find such joy in meditating on your word that nothing can entice me off of your path. Instill in me the same kind of hatred that the Psalmist had for anything that would distract me from your path. I'm still praying that my daily meditation will increase, to the point that I am thinking more about your word than I am about anything else.
I pray that I will not be a "lover of self" as described by Paul in 2 Timothy. Consequently, I pray that none of the other qualities following that one would creep into my life. Let me never put self-esteem in front of my relationship with you.
I pray for this coming night at work, that it would go smoothly. And I pray for Stephanie's day tomorrow, that it would go better than today did.
Seek self-esteem in Christ. He has made us worthy of God's grace, but that is the only way we are worthy of it. More and more, I realize how much I don't deserve the grace of God. What a marvelous, priceless gift!
Grace and peace, friends!
