Thoughts From Romans 12 - Part 3

  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Rom. 12:3-8

            As a Christian, what is your (my) proper view of yourself? I certainly have a sense that I am a VIP. I'm a child of the king and creator of everything who is going to live forever in Heaven and just visiting the planet Earth for a short time. Therefore, I should have a sense of worth that supersedes whatever my status is on Earth and the value placed on me by others in regard to that status. If I have a low paying, low status job, my self-worth should not be low because of it. If I have a high status, high paying job, my self-worth should not be influenced by that.

       Paul in this passage then deals with our proper view of ourselves when we enter into the fellowship of believers which happens when we are saved. In this world there always is a hierarchy whatever group you belong to. In school, there are the jocks and cool girls working its way down to the, well you get the drift. We are watching a medical show, The Pitt, which deals with an Emergency Room. One thing is clear from the start, there is a hierarchy in the ER and people are treated accordingly that work there and the patients are treated according to their perceived worth.

     In the Church, there is no hierarchy as to worth. Yes, there is a chain of authority and command to help it function properly, but people in charge like pastors, elders, deacons all have the same worth in the body. They should not think they are better than or more necessary than or more valuable than the doorkeeper. We are all parts of the body necessary for bodily function. (that sounded like a bathroom experience) We are all cogs in a wheel that are all needed for it to roll properly.

     If you find a person in the church that emanates an air of superiority, and you will, pray for that person. I would say confront but that's difficult because you may be wrongly judging them, too. Anyway, make sure that isn't you!