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CONFIDENCE. In an episode of the Andy Griffith Show, some townspeople of Mayberry are taking an adult American History class. People are sharing factual information they've learned but then Goober tries to share some comments. However, lacking confidence, he gets all befuddled. Afterwards, he escapes by going hunting for three weeks. Upon returning, Goober has a beard and the people start telling him how brainy he looks. Now having confidence, he starts spouting facts about the Monroe Doctrine, the Declaration of Independence, etc. However, people start avoiding him to escape all of his endless spouting. When no one will confront Goober, eventually Andy does so, saying, "You think that beard gives you confidence, but it doesn't. Confidence is something that's on the inside." From a human perspective, that certainly is true. We have confidence in doing the things we have experience doing. Some people have confidence in replacing brake pads on a vehicle or even doing a complete brake job. My dad was one who had such confidence. While I love working with my hands, I wouldn't even think about working on brakes. What about confidence in things spiritual? The Apostle Paul said, "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3). Paul had no confidence in himself to be righteous in God's sight. However, in the following verses, Paul went on to list seven reasons why, humanly speaking, he could have confidence on a human level. But he then states that his desire was to "be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;" (3:9). Paul's confidence for heaven was not in his earthly good works but solely in the perfect righteousness of the Righteous One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Like Paul, may Jesus be our only confidence for heaven!
