Confident in God, not in ourselves

These words from the apostle Paul spoke to me most clearly this morning, in 1 Corinthians 10:11-12. In this context Paul is comparing the people of Corinth to the Israelites who God led out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

The world says, “Do it yourself.”

God says, “Rely on me.”

The world says, “Christianity is a crutch.”

God says, “You need a crutch, for your strength is insufficient for the challenges before you.”

The world says, “Do it your way.”

Jesus says, “Follow me.”

We all fall short of the glory of God. Thanks to his grace and mercy, we find forgiveness and strength. This day, for others and for myself, I pray we will all have confidence in God’s strength and God’s ability to see us through our struggles. Rather than focus on our own abilities and be confident in what we think we can do, I pray we put our faith and confidence in God.

He’s the pilot we need at the controls, and he’s a much better one than I am.

photo credit: Steve Snodgrass

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