Thought for Monday, January 21st

January 21, 2013

A Made Man or Woman

What constitutes the making of a man or woman?

    For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:5-10

“I am sure of one thing, that I am not much without Jesus.”

-       Mark Brown

The value of a person’s perception of their self-worth can be wrapped up in many things. Often it is somewhat connected to their sense of acceptance by their peers; or by their rank or stature in the particular social or professional dynamic.  For others it is often somehow connected to the size of their banks accounts or the seeming value of their properties and possessions.  While for others it can be the degree to which they excel at an art or craft in which they are somewhat prolific.

Yet for the Christian, it should be none of these things.  Our value as Christians; our self worth, if you will, should be in nothing but who Christ is in us and what we are able to do by His power and through His Spirit.

Paul understood  this concept  when he wrote this in his letter to the Galatians: “  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

The truest and purest assessment of what will make us as a man or a woman is not what we are capable of in our own right: but rather what we are willing to allow Christ to become in us and what we are submissive enough to allow Him to do through us.

Only those things of an eternal value will withstand the test of time and in the end they will be what determine the value of the man or woman we have been.

Today’s Prayer

Father, may I be willing to allow you to make my life count for all that it can for your glory.