Insecurity Not Measuring Up

Insecurity

Not Measuring Up

Maturity is living up to what we already know

In the early years of the church that I help start and pastored in,

One of the Elders wives said,

“If God did not speak another word to us we would have enough to do for the rest of our lives” Mary Evans

I never forgot those words spoken almost 50 years ago

We have already attained so much from God

What we have attained from Him is not a certificate, but an ongoing lifestyle

Perfection and maturity are an ongoing work

We will always feel like we have not obtained it all

But we should never feel insecure

Because we are serving an audience of “One”

All the other eyes that are on us are important

But not to make us pleasers of people

But to show others an example of living for Christ Jesus

Counting the worldly achievements as temporary

For the eternal achievement of heaven and the words, “Well Done”   

We will always live with insecurity because we have not yet obtained

But we can live secure because Christ is the path to perfection and maturity

 

 

Not Measuring Up

 

As a child I felt the pressure

of not measuring up.

 

I remember being in kindergarten and

feeling the pressure of not being like other kids.

 

I felt isolated, and alone.

 

As I was watching everyone else,

 I realized everyone else was looking at me.

 

We can get so uncomfortable

when we feel all eyes are on us.

 

As little children, we may try to laugh it off.

 

Some of the funniest kids and adults are

funny because they laugh at their insecurities.

 

Instead of feeling comfortable at getting better

at what they do, they make fun of it to get acceptance.

 

I thought being serious was

the way to hide my insecurities.

 

It is interesting to see the

ways we try to show confidence.

 

Boys will walk a certain

way to look tough or cool.

 

  Girls will walk in a way

to show beauty and charm.

 

So much of growing up is modeling

after what we see, the things

we think are popular or different.

 

It all has to do with what

we see with these eyes,

 both naturally and mentally.

 

We look at others for the standard of acceptance.

 

At a very young age, we

realize we all have an audience.

 

Everything we do is a performance.

 

Because we want to be accepted…

 

 We put on a mask and

limit our personal perfection.

 

In Philippians 3, Paul is defending himself.

 

He has come to a place where he

must take a hard look at himself

and how others view him.

 

He has to take a hard stand and can

only do it with confidence, not insecurity.

 

In verse 12, Paul makes an amazing

claim as he defends his actions…

   

Not that I have already obtained all this,

or have already been made perfect.

 

Paul realizes the very things he

stands for are not complete in him.

 

He is still flawed and has not accepted his weakness,

but is continuing to the path of perfection.

 

Paul the second half of this verse says…

 

But I press on to take hold of that for

which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

 

Paul isn’t so concerned about

all the eyes that are on him.

 

He serves an audience of One.

 

He also sees perfection as embracing

the things Christ Jesus created him for.

 

Paul earlier in the chapter talked about

educational achievement and physical

branding on his body…

 

 All things that were viewed by others as

signs of perfection and maturity, but Paul

disregarded those things as to what really matters.

 

Paul puts it this way…

 

Brothers, I do not consider myself
yet to have taken hold of it.

 But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind

 and straining toward what is ahead,

 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which

 God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

 Paul’s eyes were not on the earthy prize…

 

 But on achieving the prize Jesus talked

about in Matthew 25 when God says…

 

 To the faithful servant, “Well Done”.

 

Paul goes on to describe “Maturity”…

 

All of us who are mature should

take such a view of things.

 And if on some point you think differently,

that too God will make clear to you.

Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

 

Maturity is living up to what we already know.

 

In the early years of the Church

I help start and pastored in,

 one of the Elders wives said…

 

 “If God did not speak another word to us we

would have enough to do for the rest of our lives”

Mary Evans

 

I never forgot those words

spoken almost 50 years ago.

 

We have already attained so much from God.

 

What we have attained from Him is

not a certificate, but an ongoing lifestyle.

 

Perfection and maturity are an ongoing work.

 

We will always feel like we have

 not obtained it all…

 

 But we should never feel insecure.

 

Because we are serving an audience of “One”.

 

All the other eyes that are on us are important.

 

 But not to make us pleasers of people…

 

But to show others an example

of living for Christ Jesus.

 

Counting the worldly achievements as temporary

for the eternal achievement of

heaven and the words, “Well Done”.

   

We will always live with insecurity

because we have not yet obtained.

 

But we can live secure because Christ is

the path to perfection and maturity

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Philippians 3:12-16 NIV

 

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.