Confidence and Love

Toby Sumpter, a pastor of a church in Moscow Idaho, once said, "Love presupposes forgiveness."

 Love is the cornerstone virtue of all virtues.  Without love, we have nothing.  What kind of patience would you have with your siblings, if you did not love them?  Self-control is similar to patience, you cannot become patient in the snap of a finger, it takes time, it takes love.  Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and joy.  All are based off love.  Like love, Christ is the chief cornerstone.  But He is the chief foundation for life itself.  He is the ultimate example of Love.

When Christ came to this world, He humbled Himself into becoming a man.  C. S. Lewis said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less."  Why did Christ do this?  Why did God send his only Son?  Because He loved.  Because He thought of himself less, and thought of His love for us more.

When He sacrificed himself on the cross, it was because he loved.  He had love, and he had confidence.  The Messiah had confidence in God, when He faced death without fear.  The Prince of Peace had confidence in His Father.  He set the example for us.  If we had this perfect confidence in God, whom should we fear?  The Apostle Paul said it well in his letter to the Romans, chapter 8 verse 31, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"  With the confidence, faith, and love of Christ anything is possible.  Christ is on our side.  He is the perfect example.  He is perfection, and we can take comfort in that perfection, because we can claim it before the Throne of God.  We can stand in the presence of God with confidence because of Christ.