Is God Interested in Where You Fit In Socially?

It’s perfectly normal for parents to see their infants as exceptionally gifted. The family can, however, become a prime source of stress for a child when parents are inordinately focused on achievements rather than loving each child for who they are and what they are becoming.

Status-seeking is often loaded with stress, especially when parents depend on their children to fit in socially. The older a child, the more important it is that the child fits in with a particular group. Social status continues to be a source of stress due to our competitive nature. We measure up if we’re accepted into certain groups.

Yet, God’s word warns about thinking of yourself as being above others, which conveys social striving. 

Knowing that Jesus loves you and all others unconditionally should reduce this striving. God’s love compels you to love and accept others regardless of their social position. Because God loves his creation unconditionally, we are all precious in his sight. 

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[Jesus said,] “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

~Luke 13:24  English Standard Version

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Saul: Losing Self-Respect and a Kingdom - Part 3

What happens when a person loses God’s favor by willful acts of disobedience? Romans 1 warns that God gave up those who refused to repent and turn from sin. 1 Samuel 28 illustrates what happened to Saul, the first king of Israel, when he lost God’s power and protection because he deliberately refused to follow God’s guidelines for living.

Saul went to the Witch of Endor for help which was prohibited by God. 1 Samuel 28 describes the terror and fear Saul felt without God’s help. Can you imagine what it would be like to experience God’s total withdrawal from your life?

What Saul gained from the Witch of Endor was knowledge that he and his sons would die in battle the next day. He and his army experienced devastation and defeat because of Saul’s rebellious attitude, but it didn’t have to end that way. God’s offers the narrow way that leads to life, his favor and blessings. It’s a choice God, Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit long for you to make.

Self-Respect Missing? Check Your Lifestyle - Part 1

Peter Guralnick, Elvis Presley’s biographer, describes Elvis as a man of paradoxes who transformed music but could not transform himself. President Nixon appointed him to fight drugs, but he was a drug abuser until his death at age forty-two. Elvis chose what Jesus called the easy, broad way rather than the narrow way that leads to life.

One writer noted Elvis couldn’t cope with being a celebrity, so the decisions he was unable to make, made his life’s journey a trail of wasted choices. Because of careless choices, he fell deeper into misery, losing all evidence of self-respect and self-love.

How does a person obtain self-respect? It comes from choosing the narrow pathway that includes facing down the temptations of laziness and lust and refusing to make careless choices that lead to a wasted life. Self-respect comes from an abiding hope, trust in God’s word and personal faith in Christ Jesus. Hope and faith provide a strong foundation for persistence and endurance.