Exodus 19:4 (NRSVue) - You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
God spoke these words to Moses when he and the people reached Mt. Sinai.
God had indeed freed His people.
He also destroyed those who continued to pursue them.
Now, they were in His presence.
They no longer had reason to fear.
In fact, they should have felt confident.
Paul spoke of confidence in his letter to the Hebrews.
He began his tenth chapter by reminding them of Christ’s sacrifice.
He then reminded them to persevere in matters of faith.
He also spoke of their persecution and the confiscation of their earthly property.
They bore these things because of their better and permanent possessions because of Christ.
No wonder they were confident.
Hebrews 10:35 (NIV) - So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
The world in which we live will try to drag us down.
Others may try to drag us down to their level.
But we should not live in fear.
We should be confident.
We can be confident because God’s love for us lifts us up out of darkness.
Like God’s people at Mt. Sinai, God directs us to Him.
Our way has been made clear through the sacrifice of Christ.
And we can remain confident through discipline.
We should choose our thoughts, our words, and our actions carefully.
In doing so, we can help those around us become more aware of God’s love for them.
They can witness the light and love of Christ reflected through us.
Once they step into that light and love, confidence cannot be far behind.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 22, 2023.
I will be back here on Friday, October 5, 2023
