Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. PSALM 2:12 Do you remember learning to ride a bicycle? It was a trust issue—nothing more, nothing less. There came a time when you had to take the training wheels off, place your feet on the pedals, and allow that bike to take flight down the street. No textbook, no parental word of advice would accomplish the mission. But once you made the leap of faith, you never again lost the aptitude for bike riding. Why? Trust. To experience the fullness of worship, we must trust the One we worship. And to trust Him, we must know Him. Have you ever felt as if you knew all the facts about God but your prayers never passed the ceiling? Have you ever sung a hymn without being able to bring the words to life? Have you ever realized that your morning devotions have become a dry Bible study rather than a warm visit with your heavenly Father? We need truth, and we need sound theology. The right information is essential. But above all else, we need relationship. Once we’ve come into His powerful and loving presence, we’ll never struggle to trust Him again any more than we’ll have to take a refresher course in bike riding. I’D RATHER BE A DOG And when He had given thanks . . . JOHN 6:11 Rev. William Biederwolf once shocked his audience by saying, “I’d rather be a dog with gratitude enough to wag his tail . . . than to be a man with a soul so contemptibly mean as to sit down at the table three times a day and gulp down the food God has provided and never once lift my heart in thanksgiving.” We might not put it like that, but the point is well taken. When Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He was teaching us dependence upon Him for daily provision (Matthew 6:11). Even our Lord paused to give thanks before breaking the bread in John 6. “Saying grace” shouldn’t be a perfunctory act, and we shouldn’t use the same words each time. Try praying an original prayer at each meal. At breakfast: “Lord, thanks for giving someone enough wisdom to invent high-fiber cereal.” At lunch: “Lord, thanks for this food, but keep me from eating too much of it.” And at supper? Well, you could say, “Lord, I’d rather be a dog than fail to thank You for this meatloaf.” Whatever words you use, learn to thank God for giving you this day your daily bread. Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening
The first post today was about bearing one another's burdens. These are also steps in a Spiritual Walk as well. Trust in Jesus and thankfulness for what's been provided.
All too often in the business world form letters are used. They are, basically, an formal method to convey a message. The feelings behind them are pretty low key. Often to emphasize form letters they change the color of the paper to bring a different form of attention to the message, such as a past due bill.
How often are you giving more personal attention to your walk with God? Is it personal at all or are you really just going through the motions? I grew up with the sitcoms of the 70's and 80's. In many you had different classes of people in a household. A few had house staff. Often the banter between the house staff and the family was the crux of the sitcom. Looking down on the staff as less than what they were due to their position in the home was part of the punch line.
The question is are you in a trusting relationship with Jesus or is He no more than a Butler to you? Do you proclaim selfish reliance on your own achievements and actions and all that goes with it or are you at the feet of Jesus?
The other question is thankfulness. Are you at all thankful in all things towards your God and Savior or do you take it for granted and repeat every prayer the same, thinking that covers it? In those sitcoms the Butler or the Maid often were told the same bland platitudes each and every time. They were responding in kind.
Is there a relationship with Jesus and you or are you abusing that relationship by honesty looking down on Jesus while you go do your own thing?
Our time on this Earth is short. We who are in Christ Jesus are to follow in His footsteps in seeking to bring others to Himself. It's not about our retirement plan it's not about what we need to do to survive if we have to. It's to obey Christ Jesus in our lives. We all have the same mission. Once the last person who is to be saved before the Rapture is found then shortly thereafter the events of Bible Prophecy will begin completing as written. Don't you want Christ to return? Is there nothing within you that wants to hasten the day of the Lord? Are you at all trying to live a life that shows your trust in Jesus rather than how much you achieved?
Look at what drives you. Look at how thankful your heart is. Look to see if there's any true feelings behind your words of thankfulness or if they are empty words said out of compulsion, out of duty, or obligation. As in all forms of war there are no innocent bystanders. Sooner or later all in that warzone are caught up in being on one side or the other. People are often caught behind enemy lines and what happens? They are grilled by often unimaginable ways to prove whose side they are on.
As the Hymn says Who is on the Lord's side, who will serve the King? Are you? Or are you living for yourself and degrading your relationship with Jesus due to fear or mistrust? Trust and Obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
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