Enjoy a Peaceful Smoky Mountain Retreat
If you are contemplating a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains, please consider visiting our lovely three-bedroom rental cottage, Rocky Top, located in the Hidden Mountain Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee.
What Is in a Name?
“What a wonderful Name it is Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is The Name of Jesus.
Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You
You silenced the boast, of sin and grave….”
Hillsong’s “What a Beautiful Name….”
An angel appeared to a man named Joseph and said of Mary. “…she will bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus…” (Matthew 1: 21).
Thus, “Christ came who is over all, the eternally blessed God” (Romans 9:5).
Incorporated in that name is all that He was and that He came to do.
In Hebrew His name is “yeshua,” transliterated “the Lord saves.”
In Isaiah 7: 14 it is foretold He would be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us.”
Thus, He was God with us who came to save us. Of all of His roles that was His primary one. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
Jesus in Bethlehem was God away from home.
His presence is irrefutable evidence God loves you.
He came to cleanse the barren badlands of your soul.
He came to let His joy flow through the spiritually arid regions of your life.
He, Immanuel, “God with us,” is here to domicile in your heart.
He, God the Son, was co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal with God the Father (John 1:14, 18). Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10: 30).
Good news was delivered by an angel: “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2: 11).
The Ancient of Days became a newborn one night in Judea under the dark night’s sky which formed a canopy for the Light of the World.
When scholars translated the Hebrew name, Jehovah, they used the Greek word “Kurios,” meaning Lord. When Jesus is called “Lord” the term “Kurios”is used. It is the same as used for Jehovah, meaning He is God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “Word” translated the Greek word “logos.” To understand a word’s meaning see how it was used at the time of use. About that time Plato used “logos” meaning “all that is known or knowable about God.” Thus Jesus was God.
He said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
In Titus 2: 13, 14, He is spoken of as “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us…”
In Greek when two nouns are connected by the word for “and,” and the first is preceded by an article, and the second isn’t, the second is equal to the first and is a further explanation thereof. Thus, “great God” and “Savior Jesus Christ” are one.
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;” (Colossians 2: 9). Who is He to you?
Take a Look at Yourself – Part Four
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12: 2).
In an effort to develop self-awareness as a gift from God there are four major blocks.
Self-hatred. Not being able to “walk on water,” we grow to dislike ourselves. That is, being less than perfect, we tend to not like ourselves. This is a failure to accept your human nature.
Unresolved anger. Many people grow bitter and resentful because they feel unaccepted by others, or particularly a certain one.
Loneliness. The loneliest people in the world are mask wearers. People wear masks because they doubt their own importance. They think they are not interesting enough, as they are, to be liked. Or they imagine themselves to be more than they are and have to prop up the image. They live with a fear that people will find out they are different. People only see their mask and try to relate to that person. The real person remains unknown and grows to feel lonely. Remember, never think of yourself apart from God.
Fear. Fear of rejection is defeating. We are all rejected from time to time. However, an awareness of being accepted by the Lord stabilizes us. Remember, never think of yourself apart from God. His love is a safe port.
Remember, Tournier spoke of a “continual fear of not being loved.” No person can be confident knowing he or she isn’t what is pretended. The strain gets worse and the person becomes more lonely and fearful.
Self-acceptance is closely tied to the capacity to accept forgiveness. A person who can’t accept God’s forgiveness can’t accept self. When you accept yourself in light of God’s love then you are free to change and become the you He intends. You can’t love yourself in isolation.
Find a cause bigger than yourself and give yourself to it. The cause of Christ is the ultimate.
Notice that in the text “transformation” is associated with “renewing” of the mind. This means to think of yourself in light of your worth to God and conform to His divine image. This is a life-long process. Let the Christ mind be in you (Col. 2:5).
The Greek word translated “present” consists of “para,” meaning “alongside of,” and “histemi” meaning to “place.” When combined, they mean to place yourself alongside someone to be an immediate source of help to that person. When we are at God’s disposal for Him to help others through us, we are fulfilling our greatest role and have the best self-image. We then know our self-worth.
Being at God’s disposal is summarily spoken of as being “Holy.” This doesn’t mean you have your portrait painted in oil with a halo around it. The word simply means “set aside.” When you set your life aside to be used of God, then there is real holiness and that produces the optimum of self-worth.
Take a Look at Yourself – Part Three
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12: 2).
What we think and how we think about it helps to establish our opinion of ourselves. A healthy self-image is in large part based on our thoughts.
A transformed mind, one modeled after that of Jesus, is foundational. “Let this mind be in you which was in Jesus Christ…”
The world wants to control your mind, so it exerts pressure from without. The Holy Spirit wants to control your mind, so He provides power from within.
If the world controls how you think, you are being conformed.
If Jesus controls how you think, you are being transformed.
“Transformed” means changing the outward by what is within.The idea of transformation means you can change. You are not a prisoner to your past or a puppet of your present concepts.
Pray with the Psalmist: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me into the way everlasting” (Psalms 139: 23, 24).
Ask the help of the Lord in self-awareness. Ask Him to help you look at yourself honestly, using the searchlight of the Scripture. This isn’t easy and can be painful. To put down your defenses and admit a weakness can even be confusing.
Repression is the capacity to put out of sight that which we don’t want to admit about ourselves. In light of the fact God already knows you as you truly are, isn’t it absurd to play games with yourself and wear a mask before Him?
We need to be honest with ourselves. Certain traits tend to make us unacceptable to others. We need to be aware of any of these in our lives and correct them. Dr. Charles B. Roth lists the ten most obnoxious personality traits: Lack of dependability, grumpiness, tendency to show off, sarcasm, sense of inferiority, bossiness, a tendency to criticize and find faults, self-pity, poking fun at people behind their backs, and a desire to dominate others.
If any of these appear in your personality, get them out. Not only do other people dislike these traits, the person doesn’t like them. They adversely affects our self-acceptance. If God accepts you regardless of what label you wear, with or without a college degree, regardless of your bank account, and with no regard for what vehicle you drive, can’t you accept yourself? Once you accept yourself, spend the rest of your life giving yourself away to the loving Lord. Reflect on these lines from the old hymn “IS YOUR ALL ON THE ALTAR:”
“Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest,
And have peace and sweet rest,
As you yield Him your body and soul.
Take a Look at Yourself – Part Two
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12: 2).
Self-identity is a basic core value. In what do you find your self-identity?
Some have to drive a specific car or they feel bad about themselves.
Others become a workaholic, greedy, and hoarding in order to accumulate wealth because they have such a poor sense of self-worth, it is needed to give them a sense of status.
For some, it is an academic degree that must be obtained or there is no good self-image.
The approval of an individual or peer group is sought by many at all costs in order to feel accepted and have self-worth.
All of these attitudes are consideration of yourself apart from God. Remember, never think of yourself apart from God.
Christian psychologist Lawrence J. Crabb Jr. observed, “The basic personal need of every person is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being.”
All of these things are attempts to make self feel worthwhile.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Worthwhile people don’t just happen. You aren’t born worthwhile. You are born with the capacity to be worthwhile. It is your job to discover and develop the person you ought to be.” Romans 12: 1,2, gives us helpful insight in developing a good self-image and establishing balance in self-worth. It speaks of – – –
“Do not be conformed” (Vs. 2a). This speaks of a conformed body.
Literally, “don’t be fashioned according to another pattern.” It refers to a person assuming an outward expression contrary to what is inside him or her.
“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mold.”
This is an appeal to avoid appearing to be something you aren’t. If you are a Christian, don’t let your conduct or appearance give the impression you aren’t.
Your self-worth is based on Whose and what you truly are inside, not on outward appearance.
“This world,” translated from the Greek “aion,” doesn’t speak of the universe, but a social order contrary to God’s will. It is a summary word for all that is contradictory to the will of God.
This is present passive indicative plus a negative meaning “stop being molded to the realm of worldliness.” Worldliness is a mental attitude. It is what you think when controlled by the old sin nature. All a Christian can do when controlled by the old sin nature is imitate an unbeliever.
Don’t try to use camouflage to blend into the world’s environment.
Take a Look at Yourself – Part One
Jesus alone is capable of meeting one of the basic needs of your life. If you are a normal person, you understand what the Swiss physician and author Paul Tournier meant when he said everyone has an “inexhaustible need to be loved and a continual fear of not being loved… The truth is that God alone can fill the affective need of men; God alone is always there, with His limitless love.”
When you enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then you know you are perpetually unconditionally loved and He is always there when you need Him. ALWAYS!
You ought never to think of yourself apart from God. If you do, you get an incomplete and distorted concept of yourself.
Test this fact by answering one question: “Do you like yourself?”
Does your action contradict your answer? Do you say “yes,” but do you so dislike yourself that you often wear masks because you are afraid people won’t like the real “you” professed by you to be liked?
Self-esteem is an expression so labeled in our present society. There are terms worthy of our use and which we need to consider. They are self-image and self-worth. Do you have a good wholesome self-image? That is, one neither given to self-inflation of self-effacement; not phoned to be egotistical or self-condemning. Do you properly view yourself?
Dr. Robert Magee, founder of “Rapha” in his book “Search for Significance,” says most people consider their self-worth by the formula: Self-Worth = Performance + Other’s Opinions. Simply stated, I must be approved by certain others in order to feel good about myself. That is the prison in which many people are held hostage. Namely, your opinion of me and my performance determines how I feel about me.
Some people are so insecure they have to compensate for what they are by what they have or what they do.
Some have to wear a certain clothing label or they are timid about going out into public. After all, everyone else is wearing that label and if I don’t I will be different and disliked. It might even take a certain shoe in athletic or social circles.
Start today by setting the standard for self-acceptance based on your relationship with the Lord. Frame this theme on the wall of your memory, “God made me and God don’t make no junk.”
That leaves no room for egotism or cause for inferiority.