November 5, 2018
Remember the first time that I was asked to speak in the rehab center in Ensenada, Mexico back in December of last year. Boy, was I scared! How was I supposed to go up in front of a load of people that come from a completely different background and speak to them about something that I have and they need? I know that the message of the gospel is true, but how arrogant it seemed to go up and tell them that they needed something I had to give.
I remember going up and speaking about the prodigal son. I had been
taught stories like this over and over again ever since I was little. I had grown up in the church and knew these stories like the back of my hand. But, this time it felt different. I felt inadequate. My life of ease was contrasted with theirs of some pretty serious difficulty.
“What do I have to offer?” This is the question that I asked myself as I reflected on the message I had just given. It’s funny how God works. He often uses us and what we say even though we may be wrong in our motivations. I look back now and laugh. I know what I was trying to do. I was trying to win their favor with beautiful words I had lear
ned in the Bible College and different little facts that I had researched beforehand. I was trying to win their favor towards me, and that was my problem. God taught me something that day: the importance of confidence.
God says in Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
I thank God that He offers to take all the pressure off of our shoulders. It is really hard when we try to lift of the weight of human approval. I think that one of the reasons that God doesn’t say, “hold fast to your power of convincing” is probably because that would send more people to hell than it would save. What good does it do for someones soul to point them to you anyways? Are you the one who saves someone from their sins? No, of course not. He says, “hold fast the confession of our hope” for a reason. We are vessels that point people to the one who can save them, not to fellow sinners who can’t even save themselves! (that would be you and me).
I don’t need to worry about inadequacy in regards to myself. In all honesty, I am inadequate, but God is not. He is all I need and all they need. The same fundamental problem that I have in my sin is the same fundamental problem that they have in their sin of addiction. I can have confidence that the same God who works in me to perfect me, can and will work in them to perfect them as well. What does the verse say!? “He… is faithful!” What a beautiful thing. If we really believe this verse then that will be something that should fill us with so much confidence, not in ourselves, but in Him!
He is the one who is faithful! I can waver, and so often do, but He has promised to never waver in His promises and His sufficiency. So, even if we stand in front of a load of people who are from completely different backgrounds, in front of our non-christian family
members, or maybe while having a sad conversation with someone who is struggling through a rough season in life, we can have confidence in this one thing as we point them to Christ, that whatever the situation or whoever the person, Jesus is the answer.
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