S37P1 – Spare parts: confidence
None of us is complete. From the moment we arrive, we are missing much that God desires to add to us. He is the great restorer, and He does a good work to complete us by giving of himself that which we lack. Let us consider these things we receive from our Father that we could not obtain on our own.
Heb. 10:34-35
For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one. Do not, therefore, fling away your confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.
How many people walk the earth with no place to securely set their feet? I remember my life before Jesus Christ being just like that. It did not suffice to be intelligent or driven or have what many called a “good job.” Finances, whether meager or abundant, did not make me feel as if I had a set place in this world. I recall many times feeling as if I were merely floundering about with no guarantee of tomorrow. Indeed, I was living a life of no promises to which I could hold fast. I believe now that God through his Holy Spirit was not torturing me but simply allowing me to see that within myself I could find no confidence great enough to satisfy or be worth anything. He wanted me to notice that there was something missing and something more to have. It is only through my salvation in Jesus Christ and walking through this life alongside him that I have come to gain confidence because of what God says I now have.
No one is looking for an unsure thing. We all hope to find the sure thing. Even when we encounter people who love the ups and downs of life and seek constant change, even they are looking for some type of security. Even they want to know that there is going to be a tomorrow, and tomorrow will be good. Yes, the Bible tells us that no one is guaranteed tomorrow, but that is a reference to the life we live in the here and now. Our temporary imperfect lives may end at this very moment, but that does not mean life is over for us. We have much more awaiting us after this. That is our confidence. It is not in what we hope to gain in this world but what we know we will receive in the next. Having confidence in God’s promise that this is not all there is gets us through this life. It is okay if this life does not appear to offer us much because there is a lot more to come. We can handle the imperfections here knowing that perfection awaits.
I spend many days feeling as if God is looking down on me and simply saying “it’s okay.” You see, there are many trials in this life and many questions for which we cannot find the answers. So we look at our Father and we talk to him and we wrestle with the questions of the age that we all have. We wonder why this terrible thing must occur and that terrible thing cannot be avoided, and we take these concerns to him because we want things set right. The truth is that we can be confident that one day all things will indeed be set right. There is no question that God will fulfill that promise to his people. We have confidence in his faithfulness to complete the good work that He has begun, and we know that a perfect eternity with the only true God awaits us. Father, thank You for the confidence You impart to us through your promises of the great future ahead for your people.