“Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” — 2 Corinthians 3:4-5
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Confidence is a quality every good athlete must display — a belief they are equipped to handle the task placed before them. Arrogance is a completely different story. Call me “old school,” but I have an issue with all the bat flips from the hitters and stare downs from the pitchers.
When I played, individuals would be sent a message reminding them to respect the game and those playing it. I agree individuals should be able to celebrate great accomplishments and be thrilled when they triumph in the heat of battle, but not to the point where they draw attention to themselves as if they won the game by themselves.
The apostle Paul reminds us that our confidence in anything comes from one source: Jesus. In humility, we realize our competence comes from Him. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” Through Jesus, we are equipped for every good work.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we read, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” The word “glory” means “to make much of” or “to make famous.” In humility, as a servant of Christ, when I accomplish something great, I should acknowledge the source of that greatness by giving thanks to Jesus and looking for ways to make Him famous.
— Mickey Weston, Chicago White Sox chaplain
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