Confidence and Confirmation
Who are
your heroes?
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What is it that makes you want to
be like them? Is it easier to aim to be
like a “superhero” of the movie/comic book sort, or is it easier to aim to be a
hero like a real live person who has not only strengths, but some very real
weaknesses too? What role did/does
confidence play in your hero’s life?
One of the things I love about
scripture is that we get to see people in both their strengths and their
weaknesses. That is a critical factor
for having realistic heroes. Peter is
one of mine. On the one hand it may
appear he suffered from “foot in mouth”, but on the other hand he was open and
honest about what he was thinking and feeling.
He needed restoration for his failures, and he received it, and moved
forward. He wasn’t “healed” of his
personality, he was graciously ministered to by God in his weakness as well as
his strength.
Isn’t it interesting how Cornelius,
who had much less ‘Jesus experience’ than Peter, has a vision and immediately
obeys while Peter requires a little repetition in his lesson? He gets the message three times: “What God has cleansed you must not call
common.” The great part, is that with a
threefold confirmation, Peter could move forward, confident in God’s grace, to
do what would have previously been unthinkable for him.
How much better it was that he did
not fake an understanding or obedience.
He persisted until he understood the truth, and then he acted on
it. God was opening the gospel to all
people, and Peter had the privilege of standing at the door. To many of the Jews, his words and actions
may have seemed out of line and I’m sure they did not hesitate to make that
known. What a blessing that Peter had
the confidence of God’s confirmation.
If there
are areas of life that you are struggling with right now, spend some time with
God and in scripture. Seek out what God
has to say on the matter. It is in Him
and in His word that you will find the confirmation of what you are to do,
along with the confidence and ability with His Spirit, to do it.
Read and Pray: Proverbs 15:14, Psalm 119:33-40,
Romans 14:19
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