WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR OPINION?
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.” Prov. 3:7-8 (NKJV)
The above verse holds many important concepts for the man who wishes to have a blessed life. As we look at these verses, let us consider what he is saying. First of all he admonishes the reader not to have an exalted opinion of himself. The tone of one’s life will be set by the opinion one has of himself. If he holds an exalted opinion of himself, he will become arrogant and self-centered. He is always “right” and feels he should be in charge. This leads to being critical of others, bullying, and degrading others for their opinions.
If a person has a low opinion of himself, it will produce fruit not desirable for a blessed life. We usually refer to this as “low self-esteem” and lack of confidence. The fruit of this is a lack of confidence in ones-self to measure up to the expectations of others. Goals in life are usually not set very high because they know they won’t reach them anyway. This can lead to giving up on life itself. On the flip side over compensating for insecurity can lead to bullying, arrogance, and evil actions. A man’s actions are the results of the opinion he holds of himself. Too high an opinion or too low an opinion is the results of self-centeredness. It is the results of always thinking about self and how everything should make self happy. Base your opinion of self on God’s opinion of you.
There are four opinions held about you. They are: your opinion of yourself, others opinion of you, the devil’s opinion of you, and God’s opinion of you. Sadly, our opinion of ourselves is influenced by two of the other three depending on our choices. What is the source of influence leading to your opinion of yourself?
God’s opinion of you is that you were worth saving no matter what the cost. He gave His own son to die in your place. In other words, He sees you as highly valued. The devil sees you only as “junk”. To him the only thing you are good for is to tease and then totally destroy. Other people’s opinions are formed based on their fellowship with God or the devil. The best choice is God’s opinion of you. Fear (revere) the Lord and you will depart from evil. The results will be awesome! God tells you in His Word what he thinks of you. Why don’t you listen?