Who Defines You?

I Corinthians 4: 3-4 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgement: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord."

There are three main themes that have shone through this passage to me today. The central truth is to allow God to define who I am, not others, and not even myself.

1. Don't allow the judgements and labels of others to define your self-worth.
Too many times I have taken the words of others as truth concerning who I am. I believe, in the power of Jesus Christ, we can be strong in the face of the harsh words and judgements of others. Though such words may hit with strong force, we will be able to allow them to deflect in the light of knowing who we really are in Jesus Christ.
2. Don't allow the accolades and praise of men to define you, thus allowing pride to make you think that your abilities apart from Jesus Christ are granting success. As followers of Christ, we must defer all honor and glory to God. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being..." (Acts 17:28). I truly believe that God grants every single heartbeat in our lives.
A Personal Note: When I was a younger believer, probably at the fresh age of 15, I commented to my mother about people really seeming to be drawn to me and my love for the Bible and my knowledge for my age at the time, etc. My mother explained that people would be drawn to the Jesus who lives inside of me, and to not confuse who they were drawn to- "It's Jesus, George, not you". Those words stuck with me. My mother was exactly right. Every single good thing in which I've had involvement was and is a result of the Grace and Purpose of Jesus Christ. To my own strength there can be no praise given.
3. Don't allow your own thoughts and judgements concerning yourself define who you are and your value to God. Study and concentrate on what God says in His Word about your value. How God truly loves you! No other opinion, no other judgement, and no other statement of value really matters except the voice of the One who made you and made a way for you to have life more abundantly.