False Confidence

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

False Confidence is the name of today's devotional and it was written by Glenn Pacchium. A few years ago, my doctor gave me a stern talk about my health. I took his words to heart and began going to the gym and adjusting my diet. Over time, both my cholesterol and my weight went down and my self-esteem went up.

But then something not so good happened. I began noticing other people's dietary choices and judging them. Isn't it funny that often when we find a scoring system that grades us well, we use it to lift ourselves up and put others down.

It seems to be an innate human tendency to cling to self-made standards in an attempt to justify ourselves, systems of self-justification and guilt management. Paul warned the Philippians about doing such things. Some were putting their confidence in religious performance or cultural conformity and Paul told them in chapter 3 that he had more reason to boast of such things. He said, if someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. Yet Paul knew his pedigree and performance was garbage compared to knowing Christ. Only Jesus loves us as we are, rescues us and gives us the power to become more like him. No earning required.

No score keeping possible. Boasting is bad in itself, but a boast based on false confidence is tragic. The gospel calls us away from misplaced confidence and into communion with the Savior who loves us and gave himself for us. Now let's find genuine confidence in the Word of God. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Philippians chapter 3 verses 2 through 8.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in regard to the law of Pharisee. As for zeal, persecuting the church. As for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. Now let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we are often tempted to boast about our strengths and set ourselves on a pedestal. Please remind us that apart from you, apart from your gospel, we can do nothing, and any gift that we have was given to us by you. May we only boast in you, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Provider, and thank you for being our friend. Thank you so much for loving us, Jesus. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.