2 Nov, 2009
Just Be Yourself?
Be Yourself
by Audioslave
Someone falls to pieces
Sleeping all alone
Someone kills the pain
Spinning in the silence
She finally drifts away
Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard
And catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen
White roses on a grave
And to be yourself is all that you can do
Hey... Just Be Yourself
To be yourself is all that you can do
Someone finds salvation in everyone
Another only pain
Someone tries to hide himself
Down inside himself he prays
Someone swears his true love
Until the end of time
Another runs away
Separate or united
Healthy or insane
And to be yourself is all that you can do
Yeah.. To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
Hey... Be yourself is all that you can do
Image taken from: images.google.com.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Colossians 3:5 (NIV)
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry
What Does God Say About Being Yourself?
We are often told in today's culture to "Just Be Yourself" or in the words of nike, "Just Do It!" These comments are based on the assumption that we have unlimited good within us to share with the world.
It is true. We are all made in God's image. But if we're honest, we all know that there are bad things within us as well. As Christians, we understand that Christ came expressly for the bad within us.
We must be careful of the notion to just be ouselves because it is our natural state that often deceives us. What we might judge as a godly impulse may in fact be the opposite. We are a new creation and the life of Christ is within us. However, we also have powerful urges to do bad within us as well.
Sometimes the confusion when we're in Christ is that even though we accept Christ into our heart, we still struggle with this tendency to stray toward fleshly urges that are not of God. Why? I don't know. There are many mysteries of the Christian faith and this is surely one. What we do know is that the apostle Paul struggled with the good he wanted to do and the bad within him just like we do.
The good thing about this is that even though we are often discouraged we can understand that this is a daily battle. If you feel insecure and want to give up because you think you shouldn't have bad thoughts or fight ungodly urges, then rest assured it is a struggle for every Christian.
But we must go to battle with these urges. To die to our flesh is a daily battle and dying is never pleasant. It is in this daily battle that God can work in us through His Holy Spirit to release the good that He is working in us. This is not a popular notion today. As Paul tells us, put to death today, this minute, those things that belong to our natural state. We can do this with the hope that God will join us and bring about the change of a new creation within us.
- Do you believe God is good enough to delight in you and love you even with sinful urges?
- Go to God with these fleshly parts of your nature and ask God to put them to death. Ask him for the virtues of being new in Christ and do this daily!
How can understanding the battle within you between your old and new nature help you to connect to those who don't know Christ? As God has loved you unconditionally, ask Him to give you the power to delight in others in the midst of their confusion and sinful behavior. Share with them the goodness of God and allow Him to work in their hearts.
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