Luke 10:33, 36-37 (NKJV) But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion…So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Poor self-image is an emotional baggage that needs to be dealt with. Otherwise, it will affect many aspects of people’s lives including job performance and inter-personal relationships. We can help these people to renew their minds with the Word of God.
The world is educating children as early as in primary schools what beauty is. They are being moulded to think that beauty means that one must be slim, have long legs and a beautiful face. What happens when they don’t conform to this definition of being “beautiful”?
If people want to have a breakthrough in their self-image, they must intentionally renew their minds with the Word of God. Instead of falling back on all the negativities that were said unto them in the past, born-again Christians should see themselves in Christ.
They should be saying, “I am a child of the living God. I have a new identity in Christ. I am beautifully, wonderfully and uniquely made by God who is the master craftsman. I am priceless because I am bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. I am accepted in the Beloved. I am seen as righteous, blameless and holy in Christ. God has given me gifts and talents that are unique to me. I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places far above all principalities, dominion and might. It is a positional truth that God has given to me. I am more than a conqueror in Christ because of God’s love for me. God will never leave me nor forsake me because of His abundance of grace and His unconditional love for me.”
It doesn’t cost us anything except time, effort and energy to help someone who has a poor self-image to have a “reconstruction” with the Word of God. God has placed many “neighbours” in our lives, whether they are neighbours in the literal sense or friends and colleagues, so that we can love and journey with them with the love of Christ. The giving of our time, energy, effort and money is the expression of our love to those who are hurting and suffering. We love with a compassionate heart, so instead of pitying them, we should empathise with them. This is what it means to do likewise as the Good Samaritan.
Sermon Series: Keep Your Peace (Part 2)
你是美丽、奇妙和独一无二的
路加福音 10:33, 36-37 唯有一个撒马利亚人行路来到那里，看见他，就动了慈心，… 你想，这三个人哪一个是落在强盗手中的邻舍呢？” 他说：“是怜悯他的。”耶稣说：“你去照样行吧。”
贫乏的自我形象是一种需要处理的情感包袱。否则，它将影响人生的许多方面，包括工作表现和人际关系。我们可以帮助这些人用神的话语来更新他们的思维。
现在的世界正在从小学开始教育孩子什么是美。他们被塑造成认为美意味着必须苗条，有长腿和漂亮的脸蛋。当他们无法符合这个“美丽”的定义时会发生什么？
如果人们想在自我形象上有所突破，他们必须刻意用神的话语更新他们的思想。重生的基督徒不应该回到过去接收到的所有负面评价上，而应该看到自己在基督里。
他们应该说：“我是永生神的孩子。我在基督里有一个新的身份。我是神美丽、奇妙、独一无二的创造，是大匠的杰作。我是无价的，因为我是耶稣基督的宝血所买赎的。我在神的独生爱子里面是被接纳的。我在基督里是看作是义的、无可指责的和圣洁的。神赐给了我独特的恩赐和才能。我与基督同坐在属天的高处，高于一切掌权的、执政的、有能的。这是神赐给我的地位的真理。因着神对我的爱，我在基督里是得胜有余的。由于神丰盛的恩典和祂无条件的爱，神永远不会离开我也不会丢弃我。”
我们只需花费时间、努力和精力帮助那些自我形象差的人用神的话语“重塑”。神已经把许多“邻舍”放在我们的生活中，无论是字面上的邻居还是朋友和同事，以便我们可以用基督的爱来爱和同行。付出我们的时间、精力、努力和金钱是对那些受伤和受苦的人表达爱的方式。我们以怜悯人的心肠来关爱，所以我们不应该可怜他们，而应该与他们共情。这就是像善良的撒马利亚人一样行事的意思。
讲章系列：保持你的平安（第二部分）
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