Question 1

On what should my self-concept be based?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 1:27So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.We should base our self-concept on the truth that we are made in God’s image. We are not mere animals or accidents of nature. We were created on purpose by God with a purpose for living.Psalm 139:1-15O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.We should base our self-concept on the truth that God created us “wonderfully complex” and that he knows everything about us.John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”Romans 5:6-8When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.1 John 4:9-10God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.We should base our self-concept on the truth that God loves us and sent his Son to die in our place and to take away our sins.1 Peter 1:3-5All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.We should base our self-concept on the truth that God has a marvelous and eternal future for us with him.

Question 2

What can I do to make my life feel more worthwhile?

Accepted Answer

Acts 20:24“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”The apostle Paul found meaning for his life, despite his struggles, by doing what God called him to do. When we do what pleases God, we will find meaning and purpose.

Question 3

How can I overcome my feelings of inferiority?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 1:26God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”When we feel insignificant and inferior, we must remember that God created us in his own image and that he has a purpose for us in this world.2 Corinthians 5:15He [Christ] died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.When feeling insignificant and inferior, we must remember that God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for us and rise from the dead so that we can have eternal life. He did this for all those who trust in him, regardless of their station in life. This alone should give us a great sense of self-worth.

Inferiority