11-12These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence. (The Message)
Self-confidence is supposed to be a good thing. We raise our children to be self-confident and sure of them selves so that they can handle life and be successful. Yet there aren't to many days when you can't read about a person in a position of power or influence that has fallen because of a moral/ethical failing. It seems like self-confidence can easily lead to entitlement. When someone begins to believe that they can handle it all or that they deserve special treatment because of who they are danger awaits them. Paul's warning against a self-confidence that leads to moral and spiritual failure is a message that would be well to head these days just as it was for the Corinthians.
Developing a God-confidence is not something that comes easily in our culture. No matter what our words might say our actions often indicate that we are trusting in God only for those things and times when we can't handle it ourselves. We find it easy to pray for the big things in life but we often skip over the small things that might make a huge difference in the long run. Trusting in God is not just a trust that says in the end all things will work out for good but it is also trusting that God wants to be present in each and every moment of our lives. Without a deep trust in God in all things it could be very easy to begin to believe that we have it all taken care of and God doesn't need to worry about anything and that is exactly the time when we should be worried.
Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:
- Paul was writing to those who had placed their faith in Jesus already so what do you think he was warning them about?
- What do you think distinguished self-confidence from God-confidence in Paul's eyes?
- What does God-confidence look like in your life?
- How might you develop even more confidence in God?
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