BE YE HOLY PT.3: BEING SELF-CONSCIOUS

I'm continuing to look at transcripts of an old series of programs on Gateway to Joy called Holiness in the '90s. This latest one had so many gems in it that I've decided to break it up into several parts. The first part I want to talk about has to do with this quote from Ms. Elliot: "The holier we are, the less self-conscious we will be." She talks about how we shouldn't try to assess how holy we are; we shouldn't be grading ourselves on a spiritual scale. However, the more we grow in holiness, the less self-conscious we will be. What does it mean to be self-conscious? Think of what you were like in junior high. This may bring some unpleasant pictures and memories to your mind, but I think it helps us see more clearly what it means to be self-conscious. People who are very self-conscious are concerned about how they come across to people. They want to make sure they are wearing the right clothes and saying the right things. They even make sure they're buying the right music, cars, toys, gadgets, etc. Let's examine ourselves. Do we act like this? Do I? Of course I do. I think it's especially difficult for women to escape this trap because there is so much advertising around us that says we have to look a certain way and act a certain way. But what does this come down to? It is a fear of man. In Galatians, Paul says that if he were still trying to please men, he would no longer be a bond-servant of Christ. Are we seeking to please men or God? Do we fear the judgment of our fellow sisters in Christ more than a holy God? My friends, we have got it all backwards. How silly and foolish is it that I care more about what my parents think about my childrearing methods than what God thinks about it!! This past week my parents visited us. Many times I caught myself wanting to impress them with how well behaved my children were or how well my husband and I were doing financially. When I'm around other women I catch myself mentally comparing myself with others based on different factors whether it be looks, spiritual maturity, etc.

Let us look to Jesus as Ms. Elliot so wisely reminds us. She asks this question, "What was Jesus doing the first thirty years of His life?" We know very little about it. However, the things we do know give us great insight into how to live a less self-conscious life. We know that after He visited Jerusalem with His parents at age twelve, even though He amazed those in the Temple with His wisdom, He went home with His parents and continued in subjection to them. For the first 30 years of His life, Jesus lived a quiet, hidden, holy life. He obeyed His parents. He grew in wisdom and stature. Ms. Elliot says there will be thousands of people like this in heaven, people who lived quiet, hidden, holy lives. So how do we do this? Well, next time I'll continue this discussion and will include more gems from Elisabeth. For now I'll leave you with this passage of Scripture which I think sums up what being the opposite of self-conscious is:

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Philippians 2:3-8

Blessings.