And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
Summary: Paul’s simple statement about his confidence in the Lord gives us a reason to have confidence in Jesus, too.
I have to admire Paul’s confidence.
Here he is, at least four years into an unjustified imprisonment, confident that he will be released soon.
Why?
The answer is in his own words: He is confident, not in the hope of justice, but “in the Lord.”
What does that look like?
“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” (2 Chronicles 26:16a)
In Old Testament times, King Uzziah was one of the “good guys.” The Bible says that he did what was right “in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 26:4). Everything went well with him and the kingdom prospered under his leadership until one day he got a little puffed up with himself and decided to present incense to God personally.
Normally, this was something only done by the Levitical priests. When they called the king out on what he was doing, he raged at them. After all, who were these priests to tell the king what to do?
Oops!
God’s response was to smite Uzziah with leprosy. The ultimate humiliation, the king was no longer allowed in his own palace! He turned the kingdom over to his son and spent the rest of his life in the “time out” corner.
So the foundation of Paul’s attitude is the opposite of Uzziah’s. Paul is not confident in his own ability to influence the situation, but the Lord’s. That is called “humility.”
“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired, even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:8b-9)
The second attribute Paul had learned was to see things from God’s perspective. It didn’t matter how bad things got, even to the point where he felt the “sentence of death.” Paul understood that these things happen so that “we might not rely on ourselves but on God.”
Well said, Paul!
Application: No matter how bad things get, trust God.
Food for Thought: What does our response to adversity tell us about ourselves?
What does our response to adversity tell us about ourselves?
I was told this a long time ago. Our heart is a bucket and it is filled to the brim; when someone or something bumps your bucket, what comes spilling out is what’s in it.
The hard part of that analogy is often times we have a mixture of things in the bucket, anger or despair rooted in self-interest, or hope and confidence rooted in the Lord, and we tend to rely on our own experience to dictate what it will be.
So I would say our response tells us whether we are relying on ourselves and our own experience, or relying on the Lord.
Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Thank you, Chris.
Funny you should use the “bucket” analogy. I ran into someone last Sunday who shared another version of it. When bumped, whatever is inside will spill out. As you point out it could be anything: anger, greed, rage, love, concern, joy…
I guess it is best to check what is in the bucket before we get bumped! 🙂
Great devotion this morning. Well done.
Our response to adversity reveals character flaws. It shows us how far we have matured and how far we still have to go as it relates to trusting Christ.
Thank you, Rich!
Sounds like a kind of spiritual or emotional gas gauge. 🙂
What does our response to adversity tell us about ourselves?
Adversity: A state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or
misfortune.
Aș human beings we have the ability to choose how we perceive circumstances in life. Do we view them as favorable or unfavorable, and what is the foundation for our determination.
As eternal children of God, living in faith, we have His power, His strength to walk through, deal with any adversity, the teaching moment being given to us. We live this remaining time on earth in confidence knowing all things are meant for good, and have been given assurance of our salvation as well as the goodness of God being proclaimed in all circumstances.
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
John 1:12, But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.
Philippians 3:20, But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Ron.
Yes, faith in Jesus IS a “game changer!”