“Help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” (Romans 1:12 NCV)
There are people all around you with low self-esteem, because everybody has insecurities.
In fact, studies have shown that the younger you are when you first experience rejection, the more serious implications it has in your life. It’s almost like a curse when people say, “You’re not going to amount to anything. You don’t matter.”
How do you reverse a curse? You start believing what Jesus says about you instead of believing what other people say about you. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:7, “If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him” (LB).
Jesus wants you to believe in others the way he believes in you. Jesus affirmed people around him. When he looked at people, he saw their potential and what God intended them to be. He brought out the best in people not by labeling them but by saying, “I believe you can do it. I know you can do it.”
Look at this series of verses:
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 NIV).
“Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23b).
“Then Jesus told them, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more.” (Matthew 21:21 NLT).
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (John 14:12).
How is that possible? When Jesus Christ was physically on Earth, he could only be in one place at one time. Now, Jesus puts the Holy Spirit in me and you and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior. Jesus believes you can do great works because you have the Holy Spirit in you. He believes in you!
Jesus wants you to believe in others, too, and express to them the potential you see in them to do great things for God.
“Help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” (Romans 1:12 NCV).
Talk It Over:
- What are the insecurities that keep you from believing in yourself the way Jesus believes in you?
- What are some ways you can express to others that you believe in them?
- How can you increase your faith so that you can reach the potential Christ sees in you? How can you help others increase their faith?
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“Treat everyone you meet with dignity.” (1 Peter 2:17 MSG)
Loving like Jesus means you must value others the way Jesus values you.
You are a child of the king. God created you, and Christ gave his life for you. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:19, “The ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ” (NLT). How much are you worth? Look at the cross. Jesus was willing to die for you. God was willing to give his Son for you. That’s how valuable you are.
Jesus wants you to give that kind of value to everybody else — even the people you can’t stand. Christ says, “I love them this much (arms spread wide on the cross). So I expect you, my child, to love these people the same way I love them because I died for them, not just you. Treat them the same way I treat them. Value them the way I value them.”
The Bible says, “Treat everyone you meet with dignity” (1 Peter 2:17 MSG).
How do you do that? One way you treat others with dignity is by looking at them, giving them your attention, and listening to them.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Mark 10:21. Jesus was walking down the street, and a young entrepreneur came up to him and asked him a question. Jesus’ response was that he “looked at him and loved him” (NIV). He looked, and he loved. You can’t love without looking!
When your waitress serves you or the grocery store cashier tries to speak with you and you don’t give them your attention, you’re not being very loving. Love looks, and love listens.
Think of and even write down the name of someone you know who has low self esteem. Then, determine this week to show acceptance to that person and affirm his or her value to you and to God. When everybody else treats that person like an outcast or like she doesn’t matter, you can make her feel like she matters, because she does. She matters to God, so she should matter to you.
Talk It Over:
- Who in your life needs to know that he or she matters to God and to you?
- How would you rate yourself at giving others your undivided attention? What will you do to improve in this area?
- Make a point today to give your attention to someone you might normally overlook. What is that person’s reaction?
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