“Until you settle the issue of your own worth, it’s impossible to bring holiness into anyone else’s life. Until you understand that your worth is already determined by the fact of your birth, everything else is an exercise in propping up a dying tree.”

– Carol Brazo, “No Ordinary Home”

How does one “settle the issue of our worth” when we are taught we are not worthy? Worth here is talking about a Christ-centered confidence, not self-made worth. Self-worth and self-dependence can blind us to the holiness and glory of God.We need to comprehend how much we are worth to God–He is like the shepherd that left the 99 sheep to look for the one lost lamb. As children of God, we need to grasp how much He loves us–only then can we help others.

When my three oldest daughters (now in their early thirties) were in their late teens, I was going through a very difficult time and went to a precious, godly woman for counsel. My focus would drift off the problem and on to how it was affecting my girls. I would sob and say, “But what about my girls?” The older, wise woman kept bringing me back to focus on the problem. She said, “You can’t help your girls until you help yourself.” She lead me deep into Scripture. I needed spiritual healing and needed to feed on God’s Word. I wasn’t much good to them in the shape I was in (it would have been like propping up a dying tree). I needed strength that could only come from God. I needed to know God forgave me and loved me, unconditionally. I needed to walk in Christ-centered confidence. I learned God doesn’t throw away the pot because it is cracked–like the potter in Jeremiah He reworks and reshapes the clay. God continues to work with me to make us into something usable.

The world operates by conditional love, offering acceptance based on performance. We feel we must strive to deserve God’s love. It is hard to believe He loves us because it seems unreasonable or we because we feel guilty or because we have failed. We know our sinful nature is not worthy; our righteousness is as filthy rags.

God’s divine and perfect love can never be earned by human effort. There is nothing we can do to get it. He has always loved us. Love to man is an emotion, but for God, it’s a commitment, a promise. While we were sinners He loved us (Romans 5:8) enough to sacrifice His only Son–the only real worthy One. Because of His sacrifice we are made worthy.

When we understand how much He loves us–by time in His Word–we develop intimacy with Him. When we develop intimacy with Him, we trust Him. When we trust in Him, we know it is best to conform to His commands. When we know it is best to conform to His commands, we learn to die to self. (I think I read “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” one too many times).

When we die to self and conform to His laws, they become written on our hearts. When His Law is on our hearts, we become holy. Holiness is the image of God, His likeness, in Him that is holy. It is then that perfect peace follows. When others observe our confidence in Christ and our peace, they will want what we have, and we can influence them for Christ.

You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Tuesday In Other Words is a meme based on a posted quote each week at ChristianWomenOnline.net. For more memes see the Daily Blogs Meme List

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