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Exchanged Glory II: The OK Stronghold
When we can receive the approval or disapproval of human beings in the light of God’s heart, we are free to see ourselves as we truly are.
Does it really matter what anyone but God thinks of us? If the whole world condemns us but God is pleased, have we lost anything?
And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us — who was raised to life for us! — is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way!
(Romans 8:33-35, The Message)
On the other hand, if the whole world speaks well of us but God isn’t pleased, has all of the praise done us any good?
What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
(Matthew 16:26, The Message)
When I understood the OK Jury, I demoted everyone in it, including myself, and left God in sole control. If anyone disagreed with His assessment of me, I refused to accept their assessment. I came up with the third OK Buster: “I Have Only One Judge and Master.”
I had lived my life in fear of condemnation from both myself and others. I knew it had to stop. I had to politely refuse to let anyone but God tell me how to judge myself. If He was upset with me, I would be upset. If He was pleased with me, I would be pleased. People could influence my opinion, but He had the final say.
There are situations in which human beings can legitimately judge some of our actions. For example, a manager can appraise our productivity at work and punish or reward us appropriately, or the court system can fine or arrest us for disobeying the laws of our land.
We can use these earthly judgments as tools to improve our actions, but we never want to fully trust them. More importantly, we never want to use them as a statement of whether we are OK or not. When it comes to our worth, only God has a right to decide.
There is tremendous liberty in knowing this. We no longer have to answer to the tyranny of human opinion.
Were you a slave? Slavery is no roadblock to obeying and believing. …I'm simply trying to point out that under your new Master you're going to experience a marvelous freedom you would never have dreamed of. (emphasis added)
(1 Corinthians 7:21-22, The Message)
At the time this verse was written, many Christians were slaves to Roman masters. Since we humans tend to take our opinion of ourselves from our status in society, a slave would have seen himself as not worth much. This would have been especially true if his master belittled and mistreated him.
When a slave turned to Christ, his heart changed masters. He still served the same human owner on the outside, but his opinion of himself now came from Jesus. He could see himself through his loving Heavenly Father’s eyes rather than the unfair whims of a human being. The Judge of the universe would rule in his favor on the only judgment day that really mattered, and he could rest in that reality.
We can apply this to our lives today. Many of us are losers in the game of “I’ll prove myself.” We aren’t good looking enough, skillful enough, or fortunate enough. As a result, we feel “not OK” about ourselves. The truth of the matter is that those in our culture who define “OKness” have no right to do so. Did God give them this authority? Did He tell us to play their games? Of course He didn’t. We are Christ’s slaves. Only He has the right to tell us what to think about ourselves.
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people.
(1 Corinthians 9:19, The Message)
Paul was free from the expectations of others because he trusted God’s judgment more than their opinions. Peer pressure couldn’t enslave him. From this position, he made himself a servant to all by voluntarily letting people affect his behavior. Without insecurely bowing to their demands, he acted in ways that they would recognize as loving.
As a practical part of friendship and growth, we let others have a say in our OK Jury. We don’t want to reach a point where we are callous to them. Human beings need one another, and part of our interdependence is that we are touched by each other’s opinions.
But when someone disagrees with God’s view, we need to remember the only One who really matters. We have to stand for truth. When we can receive the approval or disapproval of human beings in the light of God’s heart, we are free to see ourselves as we truly are.
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