Paul told the Roman Christians "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment" (Rom 12:3). That's odd, isn't it? Because some people think more highly of themselves, but others think too lowly of themselves, don't they? I mean, self-esteem is a big problem, isn't it? And ultimately, in Paul's list of "really important issues," is thinking too highly of yourself really that important?
It turns out, I think, that it is. It turns out, I believe, to be critically important. Because sin rots the brain (Rom 1:21, 28). Because our thoughts are not God's thoughts (Isa 55:8-9). Because our hearts are deceitful (Jer 17:9) and the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (Rom 8:7). "It does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot" (Rom 8:7). So it is a given that we will naturally think too highly of ourselves. We will think that we know best. We will think that God is just like us. We will think that if God doesn't share our values and our point of view, He very well ought to. We even think of prayer that way. We are asking Him for stuff and if He doesn't give us what we ask for, He's not a very good God.
It's just the nature of sin. We make ourselves central which, of course, is His position. We ... think too highly of ourselves. The trick is not, then, to think more lowly of yourself. The trick is self-forgetfulness. And, of course, that can't be done without a functioning relationship with Him, the actual center of all things. So I suppose, in order to "think with sober judgment," our first (and ongoing) efforts ought to be toward walking in a relationship with Him.
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