Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey- John H. Sammis (1887)
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey- John H. Sammis (1887)
Happy
new year! Welcome to the beginning of not just another year, but a decade. I am
excited about the year; I hope you are too because there’s so much more God has
in store for you.
As
we proceed, permit me to ask: do you have a 20/20 vision for 2020 and beyond? The
term 20/20 vision refers to normal visual acuity i.e. the clarity or sharpness
of vision measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can
see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. So, for
people who cannot see clearly at that distance, they need some help. So it is
with us in our faith walk, our vision must be clear and sharp, and the way to
go about this is by simply trusting and obeying.
“Why
can’t you trust me?” Jesus asked his disciples after
calming the storm. Every day, we are confronted with this same question from
the moment we wake up till we go to bed at night. This is because to trust
means to rest, and to rest means to trust. Most of our activities and
relationships are based on trust- you trust that if you put in the requisite
hours, energy or commitment, as a student you’d graduate with good grades and
in time, as a worker, your employer will reward you or the system will favour
you. Truth is, you cannot obey someone you do not trust.
Ananias
in Acts
9 is a case in point. When God sent him to go pray for
Saul, the dreaded guy who treated God’s people terribly, he was hesitant. But
God was simply asking Ananias “do you trust Me?” In what Shannon
Ethridge refers to as taking a lion’s share of courage to
obey, ‘Ananias obedience in going over to Straight Street and witnessing to Saul
was no small act. How did he get so brave hearted? He knew God personally and
intimately. He trusted God completely. He feared disobeying his Lord more than
he feared what Saul might do to him.”
Ananias knew God personally, so he could
trust Him. Because he trusted, he could obey. You cannot trust whom you do not
know, and you cannot obey whom you do not trust. Hence, it suffices to say that
every act of defiance stems from a lack of trust in a person, an authority or
system.
Reflection
· Have you had an experience
of trusting that required a lion’s share of courage like Ananias, to obey?
Please go ahead and share with us in the comment section.
Note: In the next post, I will
share three symptoms indicative of a lack of 20/20 vision. Do be on the lookout
for that next week.
Nice piece
ReplyDeleteThank you! Don't forget that the sequel to this will be published next week. Do be on the lookout ��
ReplyDeleteTrust will always be a formidable foundation for obedience. That's why to obey God more implicitly, we need to learn to trust Him more. Incisive piece. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete"Trust will always be a formidable foundation for obedience" I couldn't agree less! Than you for your comment.
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