Confidence

1 Timothy 6:3 - Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  These teachings promote a godly life.

One of Paul's qualities that I have admired, is his confidence.  Throughout his writings in the New Testament (and there are a few...), he is always confident that he is doing right.  His trust in God is unwavering which feeds his confidence.

Some could easily mistake his confidence for arrogance.  It is very easy to do this, and with a lot of people it is justified.  But not with Paul.

In 1 Corinthians 1:31, Paul reiterates the words of God to the prophet Jeremiah to boast only about the Lord.  To boast that they know Him and recognize that He is the Lord (Jeremiah 9:24).

Since Paul was commissioned by Jesus Christ, he knew that he was doing right.  He was confident that his message was the right one.   That is not being arrogant, that is trusting and knowing that God will never lead you astray or abandon you.

I really liked Paul's final instructions to Timothy in this chapter when he tells him to fight the good fight for the true faith, and to hold tightly to the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus (verse 21).  Paul is encouraging Timothy that he has been doing it right (teaching), and he needs to trust his abilities that he has been given by God to keep going and never give up.  I love that!

It's very easy when things get strained for us, that we give up.  We tell ourselves, "Well it just wasn't meant to be," or "I guess I wasn't as good at this as I thought I was."  God doesn't call us because we are qualified.  He qualifies us because we are called.  We just have to do the trusting part, and follow His lead.  When we get to where He is taking us, we can have confidence that we fought the good fight and did it right, because we did it His way and not our own.

Am I trusting God to lead me?  I saw a picture with a caption that said, "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats."  That was a bit of a reality check for me.  How often do I try to take control, and just consult Him when I am not sure of something?  Am I going where He leads, or am I trying to take Him for the ride?  I need to remember to switch seats with my Lord and Savior, and confidently trust Him to lead me where I was always meant to be.

Dear Lord, thank You for showing me the difference between confidence and arrogance.  I ask Your forgiveness for any arrogance I have, and ask only for the quiet confidence that You give when I am trusting in You for everything I do.  I pray for those that may give up at the first sign of adversity.  My prayer is that their confident trust in You to lead them through everything will not waver beyond their breaking point, and they will switch seats with You and let You be the pilot.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!