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PART ONE
Chapter One: Who Condemns Us?
Chapter Two: Perfect In Christ
Chapter Three: Striving To Do More
Chapter Four: Self Analysis
Chapter Five: Forgiveness
PART TWO
Chapter Six: Accepting Ourselves.
Chapter Seven: 'And He Loves Me'
Chapter Eight: Glorious
Chapter Nine: Other People

The whole Study for printing puposes

Part one outlined that God does not condemn us and so we have peace with Him. The chapters in this second part cover a selection of thoughts which loosely follow on from this.

ACCEPTING OURSELVES

It may be that we have trouble accepting and loving the 'natural' things about ourselves. For example… "Sometimes I feel fed up with myself as a person. I Dislike aspects of my personality. I'm fed up with my particular faults and weaknesses. I wish I was more like 'this' and less like 'that'. I wish I was more talented. Nobody else seems to have the hang-ups I have, everybody else seems just fine."

Some of us at times may have an inferiority complex, having a really low opinion of ourselves. This can lead to us feeling unhappy. But on the other hand if we felt completely satisfied with ourselves and we had no weaknesses whatsoever, we might get proud and start glorying in ourselves: - the bible tells us we are not to glory in ourselves: -
"That no flesh should glory in His presence."(1 Corinthians 1 v 29)
"That according as it is written He that glorrieth let him glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1 v 31)

Actually the reason we may feel low may well be because of pride in us. We feel hurt because we want to be able to glory in ourselves, but can't. Surely if we only wanted to glory in the Lord we wouldn't care what weaknesses and faults we had anyway, because we would not be interested in glorying ourselves.

So what does the bible tells us about accepting ourselves? Here's some scriptures: - "Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves."
(Psalm 100 v 3) "Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it why hast thou made me thus?"(Romans 9 v 20) God has made us. Let us not criticise His handywork and say that He should have made us different to the way He has. Let us be content with the strengths and weaknesses God has given us: -

"…And be content with such things as ye have,"(Hebrews 13 v5) So let us accept without regret our faults and weaknesses. Stop allowing your faults to be so important in your thinking. Don't be so interested in what you haven't got, but be more interested in who you are and what you have got. Here follows an illustration of this point: -
Tommy was really happy with all his presents he got for Christmas. A few days later he saw his friends who told him all the things they got as well. Then he began to feel fed up when he realised all the things they got which he didn't get. He began to sulk at the thought of the things which he might have had, but didn't. His mum got a little annoyed at his ingratitude and said, "Tommy I wish you'd concentrate more on what you did get for Christmas rather than what you didn't get."

We can be like this. We can be so wrapped up with our shortcomings that we forget the things God has blessed us with.

Maybe we have weaknesses to keep us humble. There is a difference between being humble and having an inferiority complex.

As for our talents… whose glory are those? Did we achieve our abilities in our own strength.?:-
"… And what hast thou that thou didn't not receive? Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it?" (See all of 1 Corinthians 4vs 6 & 7).

Let us therefore give our talents and our weaknesses back to God and ask Him to use them for His glory.

Be glad that God made you 'you'. Do not wish you were someone else. He is glad that He made you 'you'.

Who Condemns Us? / Perfect In Christ / Striving To Do More / Self Analysis
Forgiveness / Accepting Ourselves. / 'And He Loves Me'
Glorious / Other People

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