Romans 12:3 – For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each
according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Romans 12:10 – Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
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These two verses, for me, make a powerful connection and challenge. In verse 3, Paul describes how we ought to think about ourselves. Unlike the pattern of the world (v2), we are to think of ourselves with sober judgment. We are not called, here in the word of God, to self-esteem thinking. Instead, we are called to have a very real understanding of who we are before God. Since we are all sinful creatures of a holy Creator, we recognize that if we think of ourselves as we ought, we will think of ourselves as lowly and wretched creatures who are rescued by a holy, perfect, and loving God.
Then, in verse 10, we are called to outdo one another in showing honor out of brotherly love. There is not only any room for the secular world’s self-esteem culture, there is also no room for a culture of putting others down to build yourself up. We are not to strive for making others look bad so that we can look good. ON the contrary, out of love, we are to make sure that we actually compete to show as much honor and love as we can.
In my own personal world, I see these two verses as a great reminder and challenge. I need to be reminded by God to think of myself with a righteous and sober judgment. I am not special. There is nothing about me that would make God want me. Instead, God makes me special as a gift, not because of anything I have done to earn it. And, on the other side, my own lowly view of myself should also help me to be kind and loving toward others. I must not live to complain or gripe about things others do in order to tear them down and build me up. I must not live to make a good funny remark to embarrass someone else and make myself look witty. Instead, I need to learn to live with a right view of myself before God and to love and respectfully honor others, building them up instead of myself.
Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me to view myself with sober judgment and true biblical reality. I ask that you would help me to have a heart of love that builds others up rather than tearing them down. I ask especially that you would help me to honor others as you command. Grant, I pray, that I would have a heart that matches the call you have for my life in how I treat others.
Pastor Travis Peterson 