“CONFIDENT!”

2 Corinthians 10:7                                   (ESV)

“Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is “CONFIDENT” that he is CHRIST’S, let him remind himself that just as he is CHRIST’S, so also are we.”

Witnessing my cousin in his final hours in “this world” was very revealing to me.   A great number of people came to visit him to tell him how great a person they thought that he was.  But he said that he was “only doing his job”, as some would say!   At 1:30 yesterday afternoon he exited “this world” and entered his eternal reward!  

He was an RN for a number of years, caring for people who were in need.  In his latter years he was the one in need and was being cared for by younger nurses.  In his lengthy career he was exposed to MRSA and several other “exotic” diseases.  His death will most likely be attributed to Congestive Heart Failure, but all of the trauma his body was subjected to as an RN had to have taken a toll.   He worked for one of the leading Cardiac Surgeons in our state.  He also worked at one of the smallest hospitals in the state.  The thing is, he CARED FOR PEOPLE, no matter their wealth, race, or religion!!!

Caring for others usually carries a price.  But it also carries rewards that can never be measured!  Hearing the compliments of the people who came to visit about his nursing abilities recently was astounding.  Their stories of his compassion, generosity, his medical knowledge, his ability to SEE a need were amazing.  He understood that we ALL have needs and he filled as may of those needs as he felt led to.  

A former pastor of his was one of the visitors that afternoon.  He talked about the many times that my cousin and he traded “compliments” (if you know what I mean!) in their discourse.  Right before the pastor left he asked to pray with my cousin.  When he was finished, my cousin, barely able to speak, added to his prayer.  Of course, my eyes began leak as he did so, talking to the ONE WHO made everything (Colossians 1:15-20), his CREATOR!

My cousin KNEW where he is going!  Confidence in where he was headed makes his departure almost a joyous occasion, if I weren’t so attached to his flesh!  Confidence and hope are very similar, but Confidence is when you KNOW something is going to happen.  Hope that something is going to happen may not carry the same knowledge.  Confidence is something that you cannot have outside of CHRIST!  The Apostle Paul knew CHRIST, and my cousin can say “let him remind himself that just as he is CHRIST’S, so also are we.”

Bobby Gilbert has completed his course!  He ran a good, NO...A GREAT RACE!!!  Now there is laid up for him a crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous judge, will award to Bobby on that day!  I AM “CONFIDENT” OF THAT!!!!