OBEDIENCE REQUIRES A TRUSTING FAITH

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.
Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him
in our dealing with you.
(2 Corinthians 13:4)

MEDITATION:
Are you facing a problem that you need to solve?
We can learn a lot about problem-solving
by reading the miracle Jesus performed in the feeding of the 5,000.
When Jesus and the disciples discovered thousands of hungry people, He
asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5)

Jesus wasn’t asking for information
since He already knew what He was going to do.
It was a ‘teaching moment’
where He was trying to help Philip understand that we should never
assess our problems based solely on our own resources and/or strength.

We shouldn’t expect the world to believe our message
unless there is something about us that is unexplainable and supernatural.
Others need to see an active presence of something divine in our lives.
We need to show others that we have a genuine trust in the Lord at all times.

ACTION:
Can others see an unexplainable peace and joy in your life,
or do they see you as a worrier with a negative attitude?
Are others lifted up whenever they are around you,
or does your demeanor tend to spoil their happiness and bring them down?

Do you project a positive or a negative attitude?
Do you show concern for others, or are you primarily selfish and self-centered?
What does your ‘relationship meter’ with others look like today?
Do others look forward to being around you and talking to you?

Do you initiate conversations, or do you only speak when spoken to first?
What is the topic of most of your conversations?
Is it about you and your interests, or do you ask others
about themselves and what is going on in their lives?

For others to be receptive to our message, they need to be receptive to us.
When others do not enjoy being around us,
they are not going to be interested in what we have to say.
We cannot be ambassadors for Christ
unless others are encouraged by our presence.

Does that mean we will not have problems ourselves?
Of course not, but when we do, we can remember God’s instructions.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

There are some things that we cannot wrap our minds around,
and times when we are unsure of which choices we should make.
Rather than trusting in our own limited thought resources,
we need to submit to the Lord and fully trust Him to provide what we need.

How do we do that?
When we have pending decisions, we pray and tell the Lord
that we trust that He will give us guidance to make the right choices.
If we need to speak to someone about an issue,
rather than wasting time rehearsing what we will say (and how they will respond),
we trust that the Lord will give us the right things to say at the right time.

I have been teaching Sunday School for around 35 years
and even though I prepare notes to guide our discussions,
I still ask for (and depend on) the Lord to be in control of our meetings.
As a result, there are many times when our discussions
are about topics that are not in my notes – that’s God!

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for excluding You from some issues
and decisions in my life. Help me to understand that I need to trust
You first and not rely on my own understanding. I have a limited
view of everything, but You see the big picture so You know what
is best. I know I can trust You but I need to put that trust into action.”

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