Clearly, you are a
letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter”
is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is
carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
We are confident of
all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we
are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 2
Corinthians 3:3-5
Confidence can at times be a fragile thing. For example, an undefeated fighter will have
supreme confidence. However after
numerous successes, they finally taste defeat, and then there comes a lack of
confidence. Thoughts like, “Can this
happen again,” or “How do I recover,” become questions that float around in
their head. Now I was never a fighter,
but I have been a fan of boxing since I was a small child watching Muhammad
Ali. There was no one who was more
confident than him. Yet when I became a
fan, Ali had not only lost once but also been knocked down. The latter is usually detrimental to a
fighter’s career because that is when they really lose that aura of confidence. Nonetheless, Ali always remained supremely confident,
and thus would be considered arguably the greatest fighter in the world.
This aura of confidence is a reminder of how we should view
our faith. We should be supremely
confident in Jesus Christ because He not only died for our sins but also
overcame death. This is not something we
think of. It is something we know deep
in our hearts with a high degree of confidence.
Furthermore, it is through this level of confidence that we are
empowered to be lights for Christ here on earth. This was what Paul spoke of in 2
Corinthians. When Jesus left, He said
that we will receive the power from the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:7-9). With this power, we can endure any challenge
or trial knowing that through Christ anything is possible. This is a source of endless strength that is
available to us. The trick is to remind
ourselves of its existence. We are often
blinded by worldly distractions that may inhibit us from tapping into this, and
life will at times knock you down.
However if we are prayerful and deliberate in our outreach humbling
ourselves to realize we can not make it without Him, we are assured of our
connection to this power, and thus can remain confident in Him. We can get up off the canvas, and weather the storm knowing in the end we will raise our arms in victory.
We are indeed made perfect through Jesus Christ. As such, we should be confident in every step
we make. It’s not that we will be
perfect with each step. Instead no
matter what step we make, Jesus is with us, and through Him, all wrong steps
will be made right. So let us move
forward knowing that if we have love for Him, the Spirit of God will dwell
within our hearts for all to see. What
doubts do you have today that Jesus Christ can bring surety to? How can maintain greater boldness through
this heightened level of confidence? My prayer is that when we have doubts in
this world, we look to Jesus with the confidence of Ali. Amen.
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