“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” – Romans 12:3 (NLT)
Paul recognized the importance of a healthy self-esteem, and here he gives us two criteria to determine our usefulness to God.
Notice how he began in verse 3: “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me.” Paul isn’t putting himself above others, but explaining to his audience (the Christians in Rome) that God has given him sufficient grace and authority to address the issue of pride within the church. By acknowledging where this grace and authority came from, Paul is speaking from a posture of humility and grace.
But he also clearly understood the early church culture in Rome, with competing personalities and varying levels of faith in its membership. So he gave them a direct warning: “Don’t think too highly of yourselves!” He then instructed them to conduct an honest self-appraisal of themselves by examining their own hearts, which is the first criteria, and then to take their honest self-evaluation and measure it by the faith that God has given them, which is the second.
This is the standard by which we correctly appraise ourselves, and secondly – our level of faith is meted out by God. Because each believer receives his measure of faith by God’s allotment, we are prevented from thinking of ourselves “more highly” than we ought to.
Knowing that our measure of faith comes from God and God alone, this prevents pride and encourages prudent judgment. We ought to know our strengths and limitations. God graces us with these gifts based on the measure of faith He has given us. At the same time, not all of us receive the same gifts. Not everyone is at a level in their faith to lead a Bible study or stand in front of a congregation and deliver a sermon. Each believer is divinely placed in Christ to serve an important and functioning part of His Spiritual Body, according to their measure of faith.
None of us should consider ourselves superior to another but recognize that God has us right where he wants us based on the gifts He has given us.
The key to an honest and accurate self-evaluation is knowing the basis of our self-worth; our identity in Christ. Apart from Him, we aren’t capable of very much on our own efforts. But in Christ, we are valuable and capable to serve in whatever capacity He wants for us. .
Friend, if our evaluation standard is measured against worldly success and achievement, pride will always get in the way of our usefulness to God. This is why we must avoid measuring our faith by external standards, instead focusing on the eternal standard according to God’s measure.
Each of us has a role to play, but ultimately we are all on the same team. As our faith grows in measure, so too our opportunities grow to serve Him.
Today’s To-Do’s:
- Make time to do a self-evaluation of your heart, and measure yourself according to the measure of faith God has given you.
- Make a list of the gifts God has blessed you with, according to your level of faith.
- Reflect on the areas in your life where you can begin using your gifts for service to Christ.
- Become active! God doesn’t want our gifts to go to waste, but to use them.
Question for Today:
- Is there a service God is calling me to do that I feel is beneath me?
Former Blackout Artist 