Humble but Confident- Mark 1:21-28
Confidence makes a world of difference. If you believe in your ability to accomplish something, you probably will; if you lack that confidence,
you almost certainly won’t. Watch people playing sport, delivering speeches, going into business, bringing up children, or any other activity
that people engage in. Provided the confidence is well-grounded and the aims realistic, people who act and speak with confidence inspire others
and achieve things that people lacking that confidence never will.
According to Mark, the people of Capernaum were amazed at the level of authority or confidence with which Jesus addressed the assembled people
in the synagogue. He had not come through any of the great rabbinic schools nor did he back up what he had to say by quoting other authorities.
He was sure of who he was and what he had to say.
How confident are we in our faith, in our witnessing, in our presenting Christ to others? A half-hearted approach will get nowhere, but neither
will an arrogant, imperious approach. Christian confidence arises out of our lived relationship with God, the experience of Christ in our lives,
the presence of the Holy Spirit within. The authority upon which our confidence rests is not our own knowledge or ability but that of Jesus
Christ himself. That is why we can witness and serve with authority in humility, because it is not based upon our own ability, but on the power
of God at work not only within us, but also in the lives of others and in all creation.