To Trust Again

"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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8

The great Mark Twain once said, “If a cat sets on a hot stove he will never set on a hot stove again. Of course, he’ll never set on a cold one either.”

That profoundly simple observation illustrates how difficult it is to trust again once you have been burned. And who among us has not been burned?

So trusting again is much harder than trusting initially. We have to make sure the next person we trust is trustworthy, like this kid in this story:

A young lady was sunbathing on the beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?"

She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do." 

Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?"  Again, her answer was "Yes!"

He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?"

Again she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much aroused.

The little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you hold my money while I go swimming?"

What a relief to find someone who is worthy of our trust!

Someone as trustworthy Isaiah vouches for God:

“You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. “To whom will you  created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:9-31

He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart.

He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart even if I have been burned before.

He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart ESPECIALLY if I been burned before.

July 11, 2017

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

Wise people trust God. The wisest people trust Him completely.

The word for trust means to “lean into”. When you trust God you “lean into Him” with all your weight.

Heed the wise instruction given in these verses, “You don’t have to fully understand God in order to fully trust Him.”

Often, one of the biggest obstacles to trusting God is the notion that we have to understand Him in order to trust Him.

As Solomon reminds us in this Proverb, not only is that untrue it is absurd!

I put my trust in a lot of things I don’t understand. I have rested all my weight in a jetliner and flown 35,000 feet across the Atlantic Ocean with little understanding of that aircraft.

I have a very limited understanding of how my Toyota Camry works but I trust it to carry me wherever I need to go.

I lean heavily on this laptop for my writing and sermon preparation and research and emails every day of every week. I don’t really understand how it works.

Here’s some wisdom to help you trust Him.

Wise people trust God by leaning completely into His trustworthiness and leaning away from their understanding of Him.

Is your need to understanding Him making it difficult to trust Him?

Wise up!

Lean away from your need to understand Him and lean fully into what you DO understand about Him – HE IS TRUSTWORTHY!

By the way, an amazing thing happens as you lean fully into His trustworthiness – you gain a better understanding of Him as well!

How are you leaning today?

July 10, 2017

"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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8

What does it really mean to trust God?

Or, you could ask the same question this way, “What does it mean to really trust God?”

That is THE big question, isn’t it? It is important enough to address it with a Proverb from the wisest man who ever lived.

To begin answering the question, consider this simple story:

I heard a story of a missionary in Africa who received a knock on the door of his hut one afternoon. Answering, the missionary found a native boy holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, "Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here. I've brought you my tithe." As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the boy. "If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?" At this, the boy beamed and said, "Oh, they're still back in the river. I'm going back to catch them now."

Like this young boy shows us, trust is giving God your first, your best, and your all!

Like this young boy shows us, trust believes God for the rest!

Like this young boy shows us, trust is giving with zest!

Like this young boy shows us, trust believes that God will bless!

Does your trust in God pass this test?

July 9, 2017

"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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."  Proverbs 3:5-8

Most of us have read the beautiful poem called Footprints. It’s brought comfort I think to all of us. If you haven't read the poem I am confident you have seen the painting inspired by it.

What’s interesting is that the lady who wrote "Footprints", Margaret Fishbeck, went through amazing trials. The person that she loved left her, she caught meningitis, and was literally bedridden for many months. She came to the lowest place of her life. During that time, another man fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. But she wouldn’t marry him. She basically said, "I’m out of trust. I’m not sure I trust God. I know I don’t trust men. I’m out of trust."

One night in her diary as she lay in bed, she began to write that beautiful piece, "Footprints". And that night she saw the answer. I’ll just take a moment to read it to you, if you’ve never heard it: "One night a man had a dream, and he dreamed that he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes of his life, and for each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to him and the other belonging to the Lord. After the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. And he also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and at the very saddest times of his life. This really bothered him, and he questioned the Lord about it. He said, ’Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I’ve noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there’s only one set of footprints. I don’t understand, Lord. Why, when I needed you the very most, you would leave me?’ And the Lord replied, ’My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.’"

Trusting God requires many different responses from us. This third chapter of the Proverbs gives a helpful listing of those requirements.

Let's focus on this one today. Trusting God means believing that He is carrying you when it feels like it and when it doesn't. Sometimes the footprints don't appear until the end of the journey. But that is the point of trusting - His promises are His proof of His presence - not His footprints!

Will you rest in His arms today and enjoy the journey?

July 8, 2017

"You have said, Seek My face. My heart says to You, Your face, Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require." Psalm 27:8

What are the necessities of your life? What do you absolutely have to have? Can you even name those essentials that you could not be without?

I'll bet if you took the time to figure it out you would find it is a short list.

David, the Psalmist King knew! The one indispensable thing for him was God's presence! He could not - or more accurately - would allow himself to be denied the presence of God.

To "seek God's face" means to come into His presence. The great John Piper frames it this way:

"This happens through “seeking.” Continual seeking. But what does that mean practically? Both the Old and New Testaments say it is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God. It is the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.

“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chronicles 22:19)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)

This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting. It is a conscious choice to direct the heart toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church:

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

It is a conscious effort on our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God.

We do not make this mental and emotional effort to seek God because he is lost. That’s why we would seek a coin or a sheep. But God is not lost. Nevertheless, there is always something through which or around which we must go to meet him consciously. This going through or around is what seeking is. He is often hidden. Veiled. We must go through mediators and around obstacles."

Herein is the merging of discipline and desire. The desire to seek God motivates the discipline to schedule time and screen distractions and study the Word until you hear from God and experience His presence.

Understand that there is a sense in which you are never out of the presence of God in terms of His protection and care. But communing with Him and connecting with Him in that intimate spiritual fellowship that your soul craves requires you full focus.

If you have not sought the face of God for awhile, why is that? Is it because of a lack of desire? Has your heart grown cold? Has sin crept into your life? Have you fallen in love with the world?

Or have you become distracted or diverted or discouraged due to the commotion around you? Has your lack of discipline allow the world to smother your schedule and clutter your mind?

Seek His face today!

Boundary Lines

"Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors."  Proverbs 22:28

Do you know where the boundary lines are on your property?

I'll bet you do! I'll bet that is important for you - and it should be!

It is equally important that your neighbors know where those boundary lines are as well!

You don't want them building something too near your property line!

With that though in mind, imagine what it would be like if your boundary lines were being changed occasionally. One day your boundary line is in its traditional and legal place, but the next day it is two feet inside that place. Then, a week later it is four feet outside of that line. After a month or so you have lost track of where it actually is because it has been changing so often.

That would take the joy out of owning your property and it would strain your friendship with your neighbor.

This simple little illustration emphasizes how important clear and consistent boundary lines are!

A wise man understands that. The foolish person is led to believe that freedom is the result of removing all boundaries.

Have you been tempted to think that way?

If so, think again!

Freedom is only found within the boundaries of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For within those boundaries is forgiveness, the freedom from guilt! And within those boundaries is cleansing from sin and freedom from shame! Within those boundaries is peace and freedom from condemnation!

Are you longing to be free?

Freedom is found at the boundary line of faith!

July 6, 2017

"But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.  Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."  Psalm 19:12-14

When God’s Word gets welcomed and becomes active in your life, it convicts you of sin and leads you into His will. When He uses His Word to work His will in your life, look what thrilling things happen through you.

Verse 12 – "FREEDOM FROM FALSE GUILT" – That’s thrilling! False guilt is from the Enemy of your soul. He is the "accuser". He will dig up things from your past that God has already forgiven and remind you of them to discourage you and defeat you. But through the Word, God's Spirit will remind you that you have been forgiven and He will make you aware of any unconfessed sins so you can find forgiveness for those as well.

Guilt is a good thing that the Holy Spirit uses to point out a sin that you have committed. But false guilt is not good and is used by the devil to defeat you.

Verse 13 – "FREEDOM FROM WILLFUL SIN" – “blameless” – pure in thoughts and motives. Sin is what happens when you exercise your will against God. For instance, you know that something is wrong. The Word of God says it is wrong and the Holy Spirit tells you it is wrong but you willfully decide to do it anyway. That is willful sin and it is dangerous because it is rebellion against God by after you have committed to follow Him.

Followers of Christ will sin occasionally, but they should not willfully sin. They may get caught up in a moment of anger or a moment of thoughtlessness and sin against God - but to deliberately sin against Him is something Christians should not and need not do.

When the Word is active in your life and you are aligned with His will you can be blameless - free from intentional sin!

Verse 14 – "PLEASING TO GOD" – If there is anyone that you would want to please it would be God! And if there is someone you don't want to displease it would also be God! To know that you are obeying God's Word and to know His will is being accomplished in your life and that He is pleased with you - that’s thrilling! When you see God using you to bless someone else or to inspire them and you are aware that it is His power at work in your - that is praiseworthy!

The Psalmist rejoiced in God's work of righteousness being accomplished in him through the Word. As he meditated on the grace of God at work in him it inspired him to offer praises to God.

What praiseworthy thing is God doing in you?

Are you praising Him?