TOO CERTAIN, TOO SOON?

   Genesis 44:1-45-28; Matthew 14:13:36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13

“If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves….”

“Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’  ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said.  So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted.”

One of the lowest points of my spiritual journey came during my teen years.  (The fact it still haunts me proves how mortifying it was.)  Having accepted Christ several years earlier, I was pretty vocal about being “God’s Man!”  One of my buddies – who preferred pretty girls and strong drink (and found at least one through our group) - suddenly met Christ, and the change was magnificent.  His life turned on a dime.  But I wisely assured everyone it wouldn’t last.

Several months later, sure enough, he was back to his old ways.  Unwilling to overlook the chance for a little “I told you so,” I decided to confront him in front of the group.  His response?  “Oh, it was just like you said, Tom.  It didn’t last.”  Angels wept, and I felt horrible for having given him his excuse.

There is such a thing as spiritual overconfidence.  It’s usually the product of a misplaced personal impudence.  We get so certain of ourselves, our faith and our maturity that we take God for granted and push Him aside.  Presuming to speak with His voice, we never stop to consider whether He wants us to speak at all.  Then, we see reality, panic and start to sink.

The Bible says we have plenty of company.  But what matters is whether we stay there, or let Jesus and His people lift us up out of the mess we created for ourselves.  It’s not easy to recover from our mistakes, but if we remember we are already forgiven, perhaps next time, we’ll be better able to share it.