Mar
25
Written by:
Pastor Jesse Nicholson
3/25/2011 2:30 PM
Confidence, assurance, sureness are a few words that make us think of something that is certain.
When you are confident you perform much better. I love to play sports. One of my favorite sports is baseball/softball (I’m getting too old to keep up with the fast pitch game). I enjoy playing all aspects of the game (offense and defense). Over the years of playing I have gained confidence in my ability through hard work, patience, practice, winning and even losing (there are many lessons to be learned through losing). However, if you placed me on a softball field with a ladies fast pitch softball team I would not be very confident. (For more reasons than the fact that I would be out of place as a man.) Why? Because I have never faced a pitcher who was so close to me, moving with such ferocity, and pitching a ball with so much speed from an underhand release point. I would actually doubt my abilities in such a situation.
In 1 John 5:13-20 we have several certainties of the Christian life. Those certainties are all based upon God’s working in our lives: Assurance of eternal life (5:13), answered prayer (5:14-17), victory over sin, that we are God’s children, and that Jesus is the true God. When I am certain of these things I am useful to God. I don’t go around doubting whether I am “saved,” or whether the Lord will answer my prayers, because I know those things are true. It is wonderful to be ‘secure’ in the Lord. It’s all possible because of God’s wonderful grace. Are you certain of these things? How useful are you to God? It’s all possible through a relationship with Jesus. Find out more on the “about us” tab under “what we believe.”