Confidence

Some say our self-esteem is determined by what we think the most important person in our life thinks about us. That is so critical to our confidence, our witness, and our success in the Kingdom.

If we derive our confidence from what others say about us, we can become anything from prideful to pitiful, depending on their mood and perspective. It's a roller-coaster existence.

The truth is, we are not made greater by man's praise, neither are we made lesser by man's criticism. We are who God says we are, or rather, who we understand God to say we are.

It's an extensive list, but here are some scriptures on which to meditate.

Who am I?

I am born again (John 1:12-13; 3:7; 1 Peter 1:23).

I am saved (Acts 2:21; Eph. 2:8; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5).

I am redeemed (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12; Rev. 5:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

I am justified (Rom. 5:1, 18; Gal. 3:24).

I have a NEW nature (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15).

Christ lives in me (2 Cor. 6:16; Jn. 14:23; Gal. 2:20; Jn. 17:23; Col. 1:27).

I know He is my Strength, my Provider, my Healer, my Keeper (Ph. 4:13; Ps. 31:19; Ex. 15:26; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2 Thess. 3:3; Jude 24).

I know He is my Partner, Companion, and Friend in life (Prov. 18:24; Jn. 15:13-16; 17:21-23).

I am healed (Is. 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24; Ex. 15:26).

I am provided for (Phil. 4:19; Ps. 84:11; 2 Cor. 9:8).

I am not afraid (Joshua 1:9; Ps. 27:1,3; 23:4; 56:11; 91:1-7, 9-12; Is. 41:10).

I am no longer condemned (Rom. 8:1; Jn. 5:24).

I am delivered out of satan’s power (Col. 1:12-14; Job 5:19; Dan. 6:27; 2 Cor. 1:10).

I am no longer under satan’s dominion (Col. 1:12-14; Luke 10:19).

I am freed from the curse (Gal. 3:13).

I am freed from captivity (Jn. 8:32-36; Rom. 6:22).

I am connected to and complete in God (Eph. 2:6; Col. 2:9-10).

I am free from my past defeat and failure won’t hold me back (Eph. 2:1-7; 2 Cor. 5:17).

I am a partaker of the new nature (2 Peter 1:4; Col. 1:12; Heb. 3:14).

I am a partaker of Christ’s victory (Eph. 2:5-6; Col. 1:12-14).

I have the righteousness of Jesus (Rom. 5:17; Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30).

I am more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37).

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. (Eph. 2:10)

For Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Instruction in Righteousness

2 Timothy is a beautiful letter from a loving "father-type" to his dear son.

Paul penned this at the end of his life, knowing that his time was short. He wanted to leave his loved and close follower with words that would strengthen his timid nature and establish firmly the function of the Word of God in his life and for future believers.

Paul knew that Timothy would encounter opposition, but prepared him for this opposition, reminding him of the gift of "power and of love and of a sound mind (Greek: sofronismos = self-discipline)" (1:7).

From the start, Paul is stressing the presence of power, the necessity of love, and the importance of a disciplined nature. This is a familiar refrain for Paul, who gave us the beautiful love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.

He revisits this theme by stressing again, "faith and love" (1:13-14). And encourages Timothy to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2:1). Faith, love, grace, hope - pillars of Paul's gospel.

Paul's concern stretches to the hearers of the Gospel message, urging Timothy "...not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers" and to "shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness" (2:14,16).

His instruction in handling the Word of God is specific and loving:

^2:22 "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."

Even Paul's oft-quoted passage regarding the profitable use of scripture ("...for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 3:16) is directed at Timothy, not at others, ("But YOU...", 3:14) with care that Timothy wouldn't use the scripture to bring offense to others, but maturity to himself.

In the next chapter, Paul does tell Timothy to, "Convince, rebuke, and exhort" others but reinforces this charge by adding the words, "with all long-suffering and teaching" (4:2). A different standard than when applying scripture to self.

In other words, be brutal when applying God's Word to your own life, but exercise love (as in all things), self-control, and sound teaching when applying it to others.

We saw this in Paul's letter to the Romans (2:3-4), too:

"And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"

I thank God for His goodness! It brought me to repentance.

The Gospel for Dummies

The information/computer age has provided a superabundance of facts. The "knowledge pie" has expanded exponentially. We can't possibly know it all, so we are left to master smaller and smaller slices of the pie. If we continue to know more and more about less and less, then it's only a matter of time before we know everything about absolutely nothing.

Years of intellectualism, commentary, denominational division and righteous crusading have tempted us to stray from the simplicity of the Gospel. Our pride has flirted with our advance in knowledge and we are predisposed to making things harder than they actually are.

Let's remember that Jesus made things simple.

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?'
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”" Matthew 22:34-40

Love God. Love people.

There are God-backed, time-tested, complex and simple wisdom-ful principles, commands and truths in the Word to guide us. These can't be ignored or minimized. His Word has given us life and is our delight (Psalm 119:50,77+). But when it comes right down to it, stick with the basics and you can't go wrong.

Paul spoke to this in 1 Corinthians 13, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal" (v. 1).

Let's make sure all of our revelation isn't just a bunch of noise.

Let Him use your love for His purposes.

I love the Book...

I love the Book of James.

Especially his practical approach to getting through a trial.

He reminds us of the value of faith (1:2-6), the blessing of endurance (1:4, 12), the importance of putting our faith into action (1:22-24; 2:14-26) and the vital need for us to walk in love and mercy (2:8,12-13).

Wisdom, Godly conduct, meekness, taming the tongue, humility, judging, restoration and more!

I could spend years in these 5 short Chapters that overflow with Godly wisdom, correction, and counsel just letting the Word hone these potently simple basics in me. Sometimes I think that I could be satisfied in just these chapters from James.

Then I meditate on Matthew 5-7.

I love the Gospel of Matthew...