1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Human pride is a strange thing. In many ways it is a substitute for a genuine sense of self worth. Human beings are incredibly valuable, but only because God places that valuation on us. God has equipped each of us in various ways, and we will have to answer to God for what we have done with what He has placed in us, as it says in verse 2. One person being more gifted in some area than another person does not make them more valuable. We have such a hard time believing that! However, the other side of that is that differing gifting does make one person more appropriate for a specific task or function than another, and sometimes we have trouble with that idea, too. We are forever comparing ourselves with one another as though it made a difference in our intrinsic value, when it makes no difference at all. A person with genuine humility recognizes and exercises the gifts they have received, and at the same time encourages others to do the same. When we really understand that God considers each one of us worth dying for, then it really changes our perspective on ourselves and others.

Some people might say, “That’s easy for you to say because you’re so gifted.” It is true that God has been very gracious toward me, but that doesn’t make me the least bit more valuable that someone else. I haven’t always understood this, but my misunderstanding has been more from the other direction. One area in which I am certainly less than gifted is athletics, and that can be very important in the self image of a young boy. Looking back now I can see that I was very much a geek. A few years ago a friend saw a picture of me from Middle School and said, “Why Jack! You were a nerd!” To be honest, that hurt, because in school I was very conscious of fitting that stereotype, and at times I desperately wanted to be athletic and popular. And that was in spite of a warm home environment that did all the right things to encourage my sense of self worth! I remember that pain, and it has been valuable to me in seeing others as being as worthy – or as unworthy – as I am of God’s love. I feel that a major element of my pastoral ministry is helping people understand how loved and valuable they are in God’s eyes, not to be superior to anyone else but to rejoice in God’s love together.

Father, You have indeed been incredibly gracious toward me, and that grace is extended to every human being. Help me be more effective in communicating Your grace and love to those around me, so that they may open their hearts fully to You and respond in obedience and love, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!