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 When
I was a student in Freed- Hardeman College, the President of that
institution was wont to say (in jest I trust), "He that
tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted!" It
brought a laugh from the many "preacher boys" —
albeit a nervous laugh, for we were a "heady" bunch.
Maybe
one of those boys was the chief character in a recent happening.
Someone asked this (unnamed) preacher if he was the greatest
preacher in the brotherhood. He said, "No, but I would have
to be numbered among the top two; and I'm more humble than the
other fellow."
My
informant did not tell me of a retort, if there was one; but
that remark deserved something like one given a certain
sportscaster. He is reported to have asked another how many
truly great sportscasters there were for today's football games,
and the man replied, "I don't know the number, but there is
one less than you think." Wow! That smarts!
And
so it goes. We are repulsed by the fellow who "thinks more
highly of himself than he ought to think" (Rom. 12:3). It
is barely possible that his attitude is obnoxious because it is
an indirect attack upon our
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status — whittling us down by the unwarranted elevation of himself. And how
many of us have tried to measure how highly "we ought to
think" (v. 3b)? "Soberly" suggests an
unexaggerated, objective look at ourselves, "according as
God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith;" but it
does not require nor promote a loss of self-respect. God has
dealt each one "a measure of faith," and each saint
should be sufficiently aware of his "measure" to
recognize his responsibilities. Our various capacities pose
corresponding obligations. Let no one excuse his failure to
serve the Lord under the guise of false modesty.
The
egoist leads a self-centered life. His philosophy makes
self-interest the valid end of all action. He must "justify
himself" (Lu. 10:29) at whatever the cost. The
self-sacrificing love of Christianity negates such an attitude
as this. Christ did not undersell himself, but gladly gave
himself for others (Jn. 8:28, 12:32). We also have a purpose and
a God-given function to perform. We can not serve well with
either an over — or an under-inflated concept of self. But a
true look at self will make us aware of our need for Christ,
saying, "Be merciful to me, a sinner!"
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