Saturday, June 3, 2017

The Saturday Series - 17 - "Confident"


(Friends:  Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto.  I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you.  Glen).


The Saturday Series - 17

"Confident"     
  
  
  Our Lord is completely confident in who He is and what He can do.

   "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27).

   Only One exists for whom self confidence is appropriate.  Others can be aware and assured regarding their abilities, but only if they know themselves to be conduits of Another's capacities.  The Apostle Paul, for example, knew he could "do all things" in accordance with God's glory and will.  He also knew, however, the strength whereby such capacity was possible - "through Christ" (Philippians 4:13).  God, conversely, requires no supply from outside Himself to accomplish His purposes.  "Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever" (Romans 11:36).  Self determining, self motivating, self governing, and self actualizing - this is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And He knows it.

   We should rejoice that sublime character accompanies such confidence.   If our Lord were not love, the awareness of His own abilities would lead Him to arrogant and boisterous actions for His own benefit regardless of the needs of others.  Just the opposite is the case with the true and living God.  He knows what He can do, He desires to do it in humility and quiet strength, and He acts in such a manner that most of His works are unknown to even those closest to Him.  As Scripture says about the family of the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly lifetime, "And neither did His brethren believe in Him" (John 7:5).  A confident Christ completely aware that He "must be about My Father's business" grew up so quietly that His brothers failed to realize that God in the flesh dwelt in their presence  (Luke 2:49).  Confidence with character describes our blessed Lord, a unity of Divine traits that should lead us to knees and faces to offer grateful praise.

   Our confidence in God directly correlates with our knowledge of His confidence in Himself.  If we ever open the Bible and find a passage wherein the Lord wrings His hands and drips with nervous sweat, we will be justified in our own insecurities.  However, since no such passage exists in Scripture, we must instead embrace our own confidence - in God and in our capacity to face life through Him with much assurance.  "We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37).   Like Paul, we do all things through Christ.  God's abilities reside within us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Thus, if He can, we can, as led, motivated, enabled by Him.  "It is God which worketh in you both to will and do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).  Knowing that our Lord knows He can fulfill His promises leads us to trust Him without reserve, and to go forth confidently in His confidence…

"The Lord shall be thy confidence."
(Proverbs 3:26)
"For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength."
(Isaiah 30:15)

Weekly Memory Verse 
    The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
(John 10:10)   


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