A man talking into a microphone to a crowd in a cafe

 

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Who am I? (4)

24 October 2018
‘Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ.’

Achievers: Achievers love to overcome challenges and perform for others. They’re motivated to grow, stretch, and learn. Giving a talk energises them. They inspire and move people to action and enjoy being in front of crowds. They always want to reach the next level and aim high. This all sounds great. But without a chance to develop and shine they can often lose their motivation. When John the Baptist said about Jesus, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (John 3:30 NKJV), he demonstrated the kind of surrender that can be difficult if we’re an achiever. We have the ability and the ambition to accomplish great things and improve other people’s lives, but we can also become preoccupied with ourselves. We think about our own image and our own success. We can become proud of our achievements and enjoy the admiration of others when we succeed. Sometimes we can turn what looks like serving God into serving ourselves. For many of us ‘the sin that so easily trips us up’ (Hebrews 12:1 NLT) is pride. And when we don’t get the human recognition that we feel we deserve, we become resentful. But Jesus says: ‘the last will be first, and the first will be last’ (Matthew 20:16 NIV). We shouldn’t be trying to achieve for recognition, or even to earn God’s approval. We already have it. God’s kingdom isn’t about who the best is, or who’s done the most – it’s about our hearts and our love for God and others. Paul says: ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves…look not only to your own interests, but…the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:3-5 NIV).

 

What Now?

If you’re an achiever, memorise Philippians 2:3-5 and repeat it to yourself when you feel pride creeping into your life. If you’re not, pray for those who are. Ask God to help them break free from their pattern sins.

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