Trust is Faith Acted Out in Obedience
By Bruce Malone
Two words summarize most of the teaching of the Bible, and if followed, lead to an incredibly fulfilling life. Yet few people succeed in implementing this simple Biblical principle. Obeying these two words will save you from countless hours of mental and physical anguish and sleepless nights. These words are simply, "Trust Me’.
God values two things above all else in our lives - faith and obedience. These two things together are what define "Trust". Without faith we can never please God and obedience is the action which demonstrates that our faith is real. Trust is simply faith acted out in obedience.
Mankind’s natural tendency is to trust the world and ourselves rather than God. That is why we are told to, "Die [to yourself] daily." (I Corinthians 15:31) Furthermore, we are locked in an invisible spiritual battle of which most people are not even aware. We have an enemy who longs to destroy us and his primary weapon is to deceive us into putting our trust into something other than our Maker. Throughout our lives we will be tempted to transfer our trust away from God and into material wealth, friends, our own accomplishments, or religion. Yet each will prove itself unsatisfying and we will look for some other source of meaning, purpose, and peace. Only a real relationship with the One who created us can fully satisfy our deep
desire for meaning in life.
So how do we hold onto this trust in God? One way is to maintain an unshakable understanding of who God is as creator.
1. God is not part of the created universe any more than a painter is a part of his painting. God made the universe, He actively holds it together, and He entered into it as Jesus Christ ... but He is not trapped inside of what He created.
2. Time is a part of the physical universe. Time is not constant but varies with mass and acceleration. God is not trapped inside of time any more than a chef is trapped inside of his souffle. As one prophet said, "God inhabits eternity." (Isaiah 57:15).
3. Since God is outside of time, He instantly sees the past, the present , and the future. Even before the first molecule was created and time began, God knew every person, action, tear, and tragedy that would ever happen. Nothing surprises God.
When this fact really sinks in, you become free to completely trust God. You understand that He is in absolute control. Even though He chooses not to violate our free will, His ultimate plan cannot be thwarted and He has promised that He will not allow anything in our lives without giving us the ability to endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13) Furthermore, we are promised that all trials and tribulations will ultimately be for our own good and for His glory. (Romans 8:28) Finally, God has the ability to take care of our financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs (Matthew 10:28-31). If He chooses not to give us what we think we need, this too is for our own good (John 16:33).
If you only trust Jesus with your heart, you will live on an emotional roller coaster waiting for the next spiritual high. If you only trust Jesus with your mind, your faith will be dry and powerless. If you only trust Jesus with your strength, you won’t be able to tap into His strength. Trust Jesus with all of your heart, all of your mind, and all of your strength.
A complete set of articles examining science and reality from a Christian perspective can be found at SearchfortheTruth.org and in the book Search for the Truth by Bruce Malone.
A complete set of articles examining science and reality from a Christian perspective can be found at SearchfortheTruth.org and in the book Search for the Truth by Bruce Malone.
