S23P4 – The abundant life: confidence
2 Cor. 3:4-5
Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
Someone once said that the only two things in life of which we can be certain are death and taxes. It is a humorous quote, but I think it speaks volumes about how uncertain this imperfect life is. People search endlessly for that which can be guaranteed. They search for security in work, in personal relationships, in government systems, in finances and countless other areas. It seems that there is something within each of us that makes us desire to find something about which we can be sure and confident. In this world, no such thing exists. In Christ, however, we are able to find the greatest confidence of all.
Today’s scripture tells us that the confidence we have in the Father comes through the Son. If we consider the mechanism of salvation, this makes complete sense. It was the Father who gave his only Son as a sacrifice, although He was perfect and unblemished, for the sole purpose of making a way for imperfect mankind to be saved. What greater exhibition is necessary for us to have abundant confidence in our Father? He brought forth prophecy that gave hope in a Messiah, then He brought forth the Messiah. He left no promise unfulfilled and continues to leave no promise unfulfilled. We can be confident in the promises that He has spoken because He has shown himself as faithful. His perfect love has shown itself to be more than words, and we have seen that perfect love. The love for this world that caused the Father to give up his Son is all we need to have an unwavering confidence in God.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we should never hear ourselves state that we have no one we can trust. We have trusted God with our souls, and we trust him with our eternity. We trust that He will bring all things to a good end for us. We trust that what He allows to befall us in life is for divine purpose. We trust that He will never leave us or forsake us. The living God lives in us and through us, and his manifestation in our lives on a daily basis should show us that He is more than worthy of our confidence. Father, remind us that the great hope we have in you is something in which we can have full confidence, knowing that your perfect love guarantees your perfect word in our lives.