Hopefully, the familiar Scripture segment [Daniel 3:1-7] sparked recollection of yesterday’s lesson. What point from the lesson spoke most personally to you and why?
“I suppose the question at the bottom of… page 49. I do focus too much on people’s outfits, haircuts, etc.”
[C]onstantly thinking little of ourselves is still constantly thinking about ourselves.
Add a few [self-descriptions] of your own that you’ve either observed or experienced:
“‘I am klutzy, and there is none as klutzy as me’
“‘I am lazy, and there is none as lazy as me’
“‘I am selfish, and there is none as selfish as me’”
Describe a time when you felt lower class than someone else. Please don’t use names if someone would be dishonored.
“If my high school class has had 5, 10, or 20 year reunions, no one has informed me. Many of my classmates acted like I was, so it was hard not to believe it a bit.”
Glance back at the list of officials named in Daniel 3:2-3. According to our previous lesson, how were these officials most likely listed? “in order of importance”
If [Satan] cannot get people to worship him outright, he’ll convince people to worship themselves. Anything to insult the Great I Am. 
Don’t get the idea that God is most glorified when we are most nullified.
What do these two verses [John 15:8,16] say about God’s desire for us?
“He wants us to bear much lasting fruit for Him.”
We are meant to bear much fruit, so God can be glorified – not us. God’s refusal to share glory with us is for our good. Name a few reasons why.
“Our abilities come from Him anyway, taking the credit or the glory is diluting ourselves and others. We don’t handle praise, flattery, glory, etc. well. We get swelled heads.”
…you and I don’t occupy thrones, but we may find ourselves at desks or in positions that bring out a surprising territorialism in us. Can you relate to what I’m describing? “No, not really”
Our culturally indoctrinated brains need a fresh washing by the Word. Let’s read James 3:13-16. List everything this segment says about selfish ambition.
“It can be harbored in the heart. We are not to boast about it or deny its existence. It is not from heaven, but earthly and from the devil. It is found with disorder and every evil practice.”
Dearest Rachel –
Not being one to care about much of my high school career, I find it puzzling to see this note of yours about supposedly being cut out of any reunion plans, if they ever existed. High school reunions, from my perspective, are for two types of people – those who peaked in high school, and want to remember their glory days, and those who blossomed so much after high school that they want to return and shove it in their former classmates’ faces (particularly those of the former category, which would suggest that such events could be that much more unpleasant, since half the attendees would essentially – although possibly deservedly – antagonized by the other half). Since you didn’t fall into either category, it strikes me as odd that you would want to be a part of such an event in the first place. Then again, maybe it’s just me.
As for the bad qualities you attributed to yourself, I can’t say I saw them in you that much. Selfish? More stubborn than that, as far as I can remember; and in any event, it was matched, or even eclipsed by my own (just look at how often I use the first person in these letters, honey – that should show you who’s really self-centered here). Lazy? Maybe, but it gave me an excuse to be lazy as well, and I have to admit to appreciating the opportunity. Klutzy (or, as you spelled it, “clutzy”)? Look, I might not have a specific ‘thing’ for ‘dojikko,’ but the fact that there’s a word (granted, in Japanese, but still) for that archetype suggests that it’s an appealing – to the point of fetish – quality for a woman to have. If it bothered you to be so (and again, I can’t say I noticed it much), I wish it wouldn’t have.
Meanwhile, for all that what good qualities that we might have all come from God, and are meant to glorify Him because of that (and for good reason, as you pointed out), we ought to focus on those, and constantly try to exercise those, rather than beating ourselves up over the less-than-stellar aspects of our personalities. I don’t see why self-improvement ought to be considered as self-absorption, unless it consumes one’s time and attention to an unhealthy degree. To be sure, I don’t know when that point is reached, but I’d like to think that He’d let us know when we’ve gone too far.
And until I get to that point, honey (or maybe to keep me from getting there), keep an eye on me, will you? And wish me luck, as I’m still going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 