But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God…..Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15, 3:1-6
2 Corinthians 2:14-15, 3:1-6
Confidence is a funny thing…. Many women struggle with being confident in themselves, myself included. It is a daily challenge for women everywhere to know that we are loved, valued, and beautiful just the way God made us. We have self-doubt and insecurities, but have to know wholeheartedly that our confidence comes from Christ alone.
In the last two months, God has literally taken my life and stretched it far beyond what I thought would ever be possible. He has placed me in situations that are completely uncomfortable. Again, in these times I have to remind myself that God doesn’t call us to be comfortable.
God has called me to begin leading a women’s small group which caught me way off guard. It has been such a blessing though and I am learning and growing more and more each week. But it didn’t just stop there. At the end of June I will be going on my very first mission trip….Honduras to be exact. God didn’t just say go to San Antonio and make my name know, but He said go to a foreign country in Latin America and show them the love of Christ. My first thoughts were “who am I to do this” and “why me.” I questioned my ability to minister to others with just my beginning knowledge of the Bible and I felt nowhere near confident to take on such an opportunity. However I find myself preparing for a journey far beyond my imagination, to a place far away, where most people speak a language I don’t know at all.
God gave me the confidence and courage from scripture, but He also gave me friends to encourage me, build me up, and show me that I was made to bring others to Him. I was reminded that it is by the spirit that I have full confidence and ability to share Christ with others. I am also fully qualified because I am a child of God and Christ is written on my heart. The thought of having to get up in front of a group of people and give my testimony, act out a skit, or lead a devotional at a moment’s notice scares me beyond belief, but I know now that it will be a time where I have no choice but to put my complete faith and trust in Him to speak through me.
Just recently I was challenged to think of Philippians 4:13 in a different way. Instead of just thinking “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” think of it as “I can do nothing without Christ who strengthens me.” I have to rely solely on Him in everything I do, now more than ever. I have completely seen Him in a new light and am so excited to see how He will use me this summer in Honduras. I might not be able to see the full results of my work there, but I know that God has chosen me for a specific reason to minister to people there that no one else can minister to. I’m looking forward to my week-long experience and what God will teach me while I am there.
