Blessed to be a blessing

We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

When one’s confidence is in Christ, it provides many blessings. The blessings include spiritual growth, achieving the purpose God set for one’s life, peace that surpasses understanding, joy and influence. When we have a steady reliance on Him and trials come, we respond to difficulties by seeking Him for guidance and strength. God, through the working of the Holy Spirit, provides wisdom and power. The result is spiritual growth. From our text, the Apostle Paul told the Christians at Corinth that because of his trust in God through Christ, God used him to minister to others. God enabled him so he could help other believers to be in a position where they too can minister to others. When these kinds of activities take place, the Kingdom of God grows and expands in its reach. Accomplishments are far greater than imaginable when our confidence comes from the Lord. When we are growing in our relationship with Christ, we will exhibit a depth of patience and endurance while others could be in turmoil. God might place us in a position beyond our seeming abilities so we can build up others. God might bring us to do something that will lead us to leave our comfort zone but because we know He’s the one who called us, we remain committed. When our trust and confidence is always in God and we hold on to His promises found in His word, peace follows. But when our hearts are filled with selfish ambition fueled by trust in self and not in God, this will lead to disorder. “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder in every practice” (James 3:16). Our actions reveal who we are and who we follow. Let our actions be driven by our confidence in Christ. Let us be sure that God is the source of our confidence. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5). “The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed” (Jeremiah 17:7).

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com