On Boosting Self-Confidence

Trying to convince ourselves that we're better or stronger or wiser doesn't make us so. As for myself, it just makes me more anxious and stressed. Sharing a quote today to ponder.

Notice that God didn't spend time trying to boost Moses' self-confidence. Rather, God kept reminding him that he should put his confidence in Him. Whenever we spend time trying to convince ourselves that we're really better or stronger or wiser than we know we are, we're doomed to failure. God doesn't want us to grow in self-confidence. He wants us to put all of our trust in Him. After all, He's the only one who is powerful enough to overcome the Pharoahs in our lives.

~ Elyse Fitzpatrick

Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

Painting ~ Waiting, Gordon Coutts (1896)

Sunday Ponderings ~ Who Did It?

Pondering some thoughts this evening from the book of Nehemiah. If you're familiar with the Scriptures, you'll recall that the wall had been destroyed around Jerusalem, and God used Nehemiah to rebuild it against great obstacles. Pastor had encouraged us to read through Nehemiah during the week to get the big picture of what had happened.

As I read, and as pastor pointed out today, the book of Nehemiah is really about what God did, not about what Nehemiah did. He was simply an instrument in the hands of our redeeming God. I was glad to be reminded of that.

As I've pondered more about it, it struck me that Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king, not a master builder. God used him outside of his "professional field." It is God who overcomes the obstacles and accomplishes the impossible, not ourselves.

Nehemiah had a heart for the work, but where did that compassion originate? From God the Father. Too often there's much made of "heroes of the Bible," people that God used mightily to accomplish His plans. But not all were eager for the work. Moses, Gideon, Jonah, are a few who come readily to mind. And the Apostle Paul had to be blinded before he saw the light. But for whatever reason, God chose to use them. He also chooses to use those who are willing for the work, like Nehemiah. I'd rather be a willing one, but I know that oftentimes I'm not. God goes on with His plans, nevertheless.

Far better to point ourselves and our children to the God of the "heroes" rather than to the heroes themselves. Our strength and success is from God.

"O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” (Nehemiah 1:11)

Nehemiah's success was not "his ability to motivate others; his resilience to opposition; his practical, balanced grip on reality," as someone described him (not my pastor). It was not his ability, his resilience, his grip on reality, but rather God who gave success to His intended purpose.

So I ask myself...

Is it about me, or is it about God?
Do I shrink from a task because I don't feel qualified?
Do I try to muster up success-producing personal characteristics?
Do I look to my own qualifying characteristics, or do I look to God to strengthen me for the task He assigns to me?
Do I encourage myself and others in trust and obedience to the God of the Bible?

Painting ~ A Young Lady Reading in an Interior, George Goodwin Kilburne 1839-1924

Trusting His Purpose

"I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all that He asks of me is that I trust Him."

~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Painting ~ A Side Glance 1892, Edward Frederick Brewtnall
Wikigallery public domain

Ordered Paths

[God] knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Job 23:10

I've been reading through Job in my quiet time, and that reading converged with a thought from J.I. Packer in Knowing God Through the Year. Sharing it with you today.

The same wisdom that ordered the paths that God's saints trod in Bible times orders the Christian's life today. We should not, therefore, be too taken aback when unexpected and upsetting and discouraging things happen to us now. What do they mean? Simply that God in his wisdom means to make something of us that we have not yet attained. Perhaps he means to strengthen us in patience, good humor, compassion, humility or meekness by giving us  practice in exercising these graces under especially difficult conditions. Perhaps he has a new lesson in self-denial and self-distrust to teach us. Perhaps he wishes to break us of complacency, unreality or undetected forms of pride and conceit. Perhaps his purpose is simply to draw us closer to himself, for it is often the case that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest. Or perhaps God is preparing us for forms of service of which at present we have no inkling.

Painting ~ Forest Path, Hein Van Den Heuvel

Letting Down the Nets—One More Time

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break. —Luke 5:3-6

This narrative is a reminder for times when we grow weary—when our nets keep coming up empty, when we’re tired of trying, when we’re more than a little weary of offering another prayer that seems to go nowhere, and we’re catching nothing.

But God is asking us to trust anyway, and to let down the nets one more time. Yes, let them down once more where we’ve done it time and again and we’ve come up empty.

Why?

• Because He is in the boat with us. He knows that we are growing weary. We are not alone. He is our strength.
• Because He is sovereign. He brings us to the fish and the fish to us. He sees what we don’t see.
• Because He is the Master. Even though we've done it before, He tells us to put out into deep water. It makes a difference when He is master of our nets.

He knows that we’ve worked hard and haven’t caught anything—yet. So we continue in the Word and listen to Him. We obey. We continue in prayer, and if need be, we confess that maybe we've been master of our own nets.

But do rest in Him, and do be encouraged that He is in the boat and that He is sovereign. When He is ready, our nets will be full. So trust and wait, and let down the nets…one more time.

• And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. -Gal. 6:9
• Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. -Ps. 37:5

The painting is Land's End by Edward Holmes

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