You Are Chosen By God

“Be yourself”, or  “Do what feels best” are both phrases that are commonly used, and both are familiar messages that the world tells us. I find a problem with this , as everyone is sinful and falls short of the glory of God, as Romans 3:23 puts it. For someone perfect there is no fault in either of these statements, but as humans we naturally are imperfect, and will abuse these statements if we take them to heart. 

For example; being yourself could lead to broken relationships because being yourself might mean making fun of others. For many people, being themselves results in an inflated ego which blocks God out of their life. Sometimes doing what feels best could lead to health problems because certain things that may feel good are really bad for you. You could just be digging yourself deeper into a hole of self indulgence not realising it is bad for you until someone rescues you. 

I know that I was often being my (sinful) self and was saying things that I knew I should not have said. I was acting in ways that were not Godly, but I kept on doing it anyway because it let me “be myself”. Then God helped me notice that what I was doing was not honoring Him. I began to realize that the things that I was saying and thinking were not excellent or praiseworthy as Phillipians 4:8 commands and I knew that I needed to have a mindset that was focused on what Jesus would do. 

When I started to do this I began to see how a Jesus centered life can change things. I started to feel like the relationships within my family were closer. I was growing in the relationships I had with my friends, and I found that it was easier to encourage someone. It was more natural to share my faith with a friend I had just met. I was closer to God, and consequently the other relationships in my life were flourishing. 

But if God had not shown me my wrongs, or let my ego get in the way of a healthy relationship with Him, none of it could have worked.

If you simply humble yourself and leave your heart open to God, He will find ways to work in your life. And rather than relying on “being yourself” to have an identity, or “doing what feels best” in order to find pleasure you will find all you need in Jesus. You will find a peace that transcends all understanding to satisfy you. You will find the truth of God’s word that will sustain you and give you an identity. You will find the love of God that will enable you to do all things through Him who gives you strength.

Come to God and you will find everything that you could ever need.