Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
We sing of God’s great faithfulness, of his goodness, of his amazing grace. And we praise him as Jireh, our provider, the One who is enough to make us content in every circumstance. We sing it, we confess it, we may even shout it out. But do we act like it?
When I struggle wondering whether God will come through this time, it says a lot about how much I believe he is faithful. When I focus more on how undeserving I am than on his willingness to forgive and redeem my faults, do I really know his grace? And when I find it hard to wait and trust in his timing, it brings into question how I view his sovereign love.
It takes humility to receive God’s grace. And it always will, no matter how far along on our journey. No matter what the culture preaches.
Dave Ramsey says, “Humility is recognizing that God is 100 percent responsible for every blessing, every success, every outcome, and every reward in my life. I only have these things because God gave them to me. Sure, I worked hard, but God provided the result. It’s the opposite of entitlement.”
Our culture, however, could not lean further from Dave Ramsey’s perspective. It says we should view ourselves as self-made individuals. The only one to get credit for our success is us! And if we fail, cast the blame on someone else. We’re told in order to find meaning we must empower ourselves by living our own truth. Discard old belief systems that make us feel uncomfortable and pursue our passions above all else.
Although I don’t know a single follower of Christ who would adhere to this modern mindset, I’m afraid its message influences us more than we realize. Paul warns us not to think more highly of ourselves than we should. To look at life through whatever measure of faith we’ve been given. Whether great or small.
Friend, I pray you don’t compromise your view of God for a minute. Humble yourself before him and receive his grace.