The building of self esteem is possibly the most misunderstood philosophy espoused today in our American culture.    Public schools, parents, and even well meaning churches crusade in varying ways to build the self-esteem of students, children and parishioners.   But according to the Bible, the building of self-esteem is a wrong turn, because esteem must come from the comments, feelings, and values of others rather than from God.    And as we well know, others will let us down, some more than others. But God never does; in fact, as the Scripture states He holds so many great thoughts for us each day that they cannot actually be counted.   Now who does that?   

                                                     How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

                                                                 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.   

                                                                                          (Psalm 139:17-18)

How do you switch from self-esteem to God esteem?  I will leave you with the words of Christ.  

                                            Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone 

                                                         who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”   (John 11:25-26)

If  you have accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life.   Here are just a few esteem thoughts that come from God to you everyday.

You are the salt of the earth.                                                (Matt. 5:13)

·        You are the light of the world.                                       (Matt 5:14)

·        You are my child.                                                         (John 1:12)

·         You are a part me, a channel of My life.                         (John 15: 5)

·        You are my friend.                                                      (John 15:15)

·        You are chosen to bear fruit for Me.                              (John 15:16)

·        You are a joint heir Me,                                               (Rom. 8:16-17)

   everything that is mine is yours.                               

·        You are a temple now, a dwelling place                         (I Cor. 3:16, 6:19)

         where I hang out.                                                 

·        You are united with Me.                                              (I Cor. 6:15)

·        You are a member of My church.                                 (I Cor. 12:27)   (Eph. 5:30)

·                    You are a new Creation.                                          ( Col. 1:2)

·                    You are chosen of God, holy and dearly loved              (Col. 3:12; I Thess. 1:4)

·                    You are a son of light and not darkness.                         (I Thess. 5:5)

·                    You are like a Godly living stone,                               (I Pet. 2:5)

       being built up in Me as a spiritual house.     

·                    You are a member of the chosen race,                       (I Pet. 2:9)

   a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people

   for God’s own possession            

·                    You are my child.                                                     (I John 3:1, 2))

Teachable Moment

Take your family out to the beach.   During your time together ask your children to count the surrounding sand.    Guarantee that if they come within a couple million you will treat them to an ice cream cone.    After they have tried for awhile, stop the count.   Explain that not even the most diligent and careful counter could count the sand.   Then read Psalm 139, but highlight verse 17 and 18^.    Tell them that God’s thoughts toward them each day are more then all the sand they could count.

Word of God

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth…”

Matt. 5:14 “You are the light of the world…” 

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

John 15: 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:15-16 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” 

Romans 8:16-17   “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” 

I Cor. 3:16; 6:19 16 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

I Cor. 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?”

I Cor. 12:27   “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

Ephesians 5:30   “..We are members of His body”

2 Cor. 5:17   “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Col. 1:2 “To the saints ..in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

Col. 3:12  “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved…”

I Thess. 5:5  “for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness.”

I Peter 2:5   “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 

I Peter 2:9 “ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.”

I John 3:1-2  “ See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”