The Alpha of Esteem

UV 3017/10000 The Alpha of Esteem
Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength
Job 36 v 19

Esteem is the value we place on a certain person or thing. Esteem often shapes our behaviour as well as performance. Low esteem often results in poor performance, addictions and aberrant behaviour. We do certain things to win the esteem of others –our parents, our colleagues, our children and the world at large. But the esteem of human beings is fickle. We will do well to emulate the example of Daniel who won the esteem of God. Our esteem should not be on the basis of who we are, what we have accomplished or what we possess but on the esteem of the Lord. We need to esteem or respect ourselves on the basis of the faith fact that each of us is a child of God, a king and a priest in His eyes, a co-heir with Christ, an ambassador of the Lord in this world, destined for the throne, salt and light of this world, a city built on a hill.

Some people aspire to become very powerful so that they can command the respect and obedience of others, for example dictators like Hitler and Mao. Such rulers like to be worshipped like demi-gods. But what wins the esteem of the Lord is character and conduct that is humble, God-fearing, faithful, trustworthy, gentle and compassionate. In order to conform to such a character template, we need to esteem the Word of God above the riches and knowledge of this world. When we value the precepts and principles of scripture above our worldly aspirations, we are willing like Daniel to face challenges and pay the price of following Christ.

When we esteem ourselves as a child of God, we better reflect His character or His DNA (divine nature) in our daily lives. Love, faith and hope are to be an integral part of our lives. When we regard ourselves as kings and priests, we are to exercise authority, be just, be wise, be strong, faithful, pure, righteous. When we regard ourselves as a city on a hill, we realize we are meant to be godly leaders to illuminate this world and provide hope for the people living in the valley of death, sin and curses. When we are called salt and light, we are to preserve the peace of God on earth like salt, we are to overcome the works and words of darkness, we are to bring hope, cheer and joy into the lives of all the people we interact with. When we regard ourselves as ambassadors of Christ, we should know we are roving evangelists for the Lord, to represent Him on earth and to carry out His will here and now. We are to behave as behooves an envoy of God. We are to carry His message to the nations.