Self-Worth, Ministry, and Misery—4
We can deliver the best sermons, teach the best apologetics lectures, or write the most respected books but if we don’t do it from love, then from God’s perspective, we “gain nothing”? That is what it says, right?
We can deliver the best sermons, teach the best apologetics lectures, or write the most respected books but if we don’t do it from love, then from God’s perspective, we “gain nothing”? That is what it says, right?
I ended yesterday’s post telling about my ministerial jealousy and how I became very tired. In fact, I got so tired that I would wake up, have breakfast, and take a nap. Then I’d wake up, have lunch, and take a nap. Then I’d wake up, have dinner, and take a nap. And so on. …
Most Christians in ministry base their self-worth on their ministry success but this is disastrously destructive to discipleship.
It is no surprise that in a 2002 survey almost three-quarters of Americans (seventy-four percent) rejected the teaching of original sin. After all, Americans want to feel good about themselves. Nathaniel Brandon, whom many consider the father of the self-esteem movement, said, “The idea of Original Sin…is anti-self-esteem by its very nature. The very notion …
Another thing that fuels lust is our basing our self-worth on worldly standards. If we are not going to find value in our relationship to God, then we will base it on what the world values. What does the world value? The world says you are valuable if you are attractive, or intelligent, or strong, …
As we have already seen, Ayn Rand and self-esteem go together like Marco and Polo. One of her “inner-circle” disciples, Nathaniel Branden, is often called “the father of the self-esteem movement.” As I mentioned yesterday, Rand and Branden (he was 14 years her junior) felt good enough about themselves to have a sexual affair with …
Being born in October, I entered kindergarten as a four-year-old and, as a result, I wasn’t as physically or intellectually capable as the other students. In fact, I didn’t feel like I was able to, in some sense, catch up, until I was in high school. Anyway, on one overcast third-grade day, my teacher told …
One of the most dangerous teachings today is that you need to learn to love yourself before you can love others. People who believe this will quote the verse “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39) and then say that a lot of people don’t love themselves and so they need to learn to love …