How do you view yourself? We seem to have a view of ourselves, sometimes it is a proper view and other times it is improper. We can and do view ourselves in many ways: confident, hard working, smart, funny, lazy, over weight, stupid, hateful, kind, generous, stingy, etc. Having a proper view does help us fix the areas that aren’t exactly right. Listen to the words of Paul in I Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
Did you notice how Paul viewed himself? He called himself the chief sinner! Paul? The man who helped spread the gospel world wide? The man who went back into a city after they tried to kill him? The man who gave his life to carry the gospel to those who needed it? Yeah, that would be the guy! Paul’s view was a view of humility, a view that looked through the lens of truth. Paul could have viewed himself in many ways but he chose to view himself in a spiritual light.
How did Paul do this? The closer he got to God the more he realized his sin. Just like a mirror, the closer we get the more we see and the more we don’t like! The same is true spiritually, the closer we get to God the more of our sin we see. The more we see the more we realize that we too are chief sinners!
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