Our self-concept is likely to include the merits of our academic achievements (or the highlights of our social lives) ; measurements of our wealth and possessions (or a rejection of folks having more); our politics (or the greed, moral degeneracy and avarice of the opposing party); and might even reflect an optimism about our physical attractiveness (or a rejection of better-looking folks' vanity).
We create optimistic notions and bold attitudes founded upon the best qualities in ourselves, and therefore believe our self-perceptions must be not only true and consistent with what others should think, but that our image of ourselves must also be patently obvious to anyone intelligent enough to draw a breath. And doggone it ... shouldn't we always be treated like we deserve?
Obviously our self-image is not a comprehensive (or even accurate) picture or definition of who we are, nor does our self-concept perfectly predict how we're seen by others. But then that's OK, isn't it ... because we're adults after all, so who really cares what other people think?
How often do we stop to think how we might be pictured and seen by God?
---
Let's look at sin ... especially our secret sins.
You know yours (hopefully your heart isn't so hard that you're already arguing, "I don't have any and besides, my sins are nothing compared to the next guy's!" because face it: Sin is sin and all sin is abominable in God's eyes. Without salvation through Christ, even the smallest sin merits eternal damnation), and I know mine.
Sin is serious business, and keeping ourselves from it should be a full time 24x7 commitment.
Whether it's online porn, lying, gossip, greed, rationalizing ways of withholding your tithe,conceit and arrogance, self-righteousness, boastfulness or wrath and anger, God knows them all ... each and every one. The thing is, the Father isn't as willing to overlook or to explain our private sins away as we are: God hates sin.
So what if God saw us not in terms of our human accomplishments or our "spiritual achievements," but in light of our sins ... including our secret favorites?
Does that make you start thinking, Uh oh?
---
Imagine Christ has returned, and that you ran up to the Savior on the street to introduce yourself.
"Jesus, I'm so glad to finally meet you! My name is [your name], and I'm ..." What if Christ interrupted and nodded, "Yes, you're the online porn addict. Or [your name], the idolater. Or the adulterer. Or the gossip or the murderer.
Wouldn't an encounter like that just be humiliating and downright awful? Wouldn't hearing Jesus address you by your secret sins make you totally cringe ... or maybe even become not so anxious about meeting the Messiah in the first place?
Will the certainty of finally coming face-to-face with Jesus ever be enough to make repenting of sin and seeking God's forgiveness the most urgent priority in your life?
Or does your self-image bind your heart to your sins, and keep that from happening?
