Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2
It’s the best. I only buy the best. Are you ready to have the best? Don’t you want the best? Is it a measure of stature? Is it a marketing ploy? Is it a must have in every situation?
There is always discussion and debate as to what is the best? It doesn’t matter what we are talking about, inevitably we want, even need to rank something as the best. The best car, the best pair of shoes, the best quarterback, the best Bible. Unfortunately, at its core, this is often just a powerful marketing strategy. Gilet, the best a man can get; Benson & Hedges, when only the best will do; Avis, the best is yet to come. Really? The best?
If we can be convinced that something is the best, then we will want to be associated with or own the best. Why? Because we make the false assumption that if we have the best it will automatically make us better.
However, the subjective labeling of the best when used to unrealistically ranking things never actually takes into account what the best is for us personally. So does it really matter what the masses deem as the best? And shouldn’t the most important criteria to take into account be my needs and preferences?
When we bring this to a personal standard, the best whatever boils down to the things you have the most confidence in. For me personally, I can relate this to flyrods. My confidence is measured by how well I can cast a particular rod, which is dependent upon my casting style and ability as well as past experiences catching fish. Therefore, brand, ratings or overall cost do not necessarily determine what I deem as best. It is the confidence I place in it, which only comes through experience.
Think about a best friend. What makes that friend the best? Isn’t it because you have confidence in that friendship that has been established through a close relationship? That friend is not the universal best friend, rather they are the best friend to you.
As Christians we can talk about the greatest or best decision we have ever made in our life. But what actually makes turning to Christ the best? Is it because I was raised in a family that ingrained this idea in me from a young age? Is it because I feel that this mindset is expected of me? Might it be because I am simply mimicking the other Christians I see? Or is it because I actually have confidence in Christ and who I am in Him?
One again, how do I build confidence in anything in my life including my faith? It’s only through the active usage and experience that build trust that results in confidence. In the sense of my faith, active use and experience translates to my relationship with my Savior and Lord as well as the time I spend in the Word with the leading of the Holy Spirit. This does not change who Christ is, but it does change who Christ is to me.
In everything in our life, especially in our faith we need authenticity. We need to move away from a consumer driven mentality of needing what others deem the best and actually with that authenticity draw near to Christ. It is at that point we realize just how far we as well as this world is from the best. The enemy will always try to convince you to settle for a counterfeit best. To chase what this world has to offer. To compare ourselves with others and seek to be more like them. And yet, it is God who fearfully and wonderfully made us each unique. Only Jesus offers what is genuinely the best for each one of us personally. Only Jesus has the ability to lead us to what truly is the best, our Father. And this is the only thing you can truly find confidence in.
Jason Metz, lead Pastor
