“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves” (Galatians 6:3).
The practical nature of God’s Word offers a valuable benefit that may be easy to overlook. For instance, the verse quoted above alerts us to a specific area of vulnerability: the self-deception that may arise from an attitude of self-importance. We can find an effective way to guard against this kind of self-deceit in Romans 12:3: “I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one” (CSB).
Notice that Romans 12:3 and Galatians 6:3 do not tell us that we ought to think less of ourselves than we should. However, we should not think more of ourselves than is warranted either. Instead, we should prayerfully take a modest, sensible estimate of the qualities we possess and honor God for the talents, skills, abilities, and opportunities He has provided for us.
Those who take this approach can employ their gifts in a spirit of humility and dedicate the recognition they receive to the One who provided those gifts. The alternative is summarized by the following warning from 1 Corinthians 3:18: “Don’t deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise in the ways of this world, you should give up that wisdom in order to become really wise” (GW).
Instead, we should follow the pattern that Jesus established in the gospel of Matthew…
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:1-6).