I have been teaching on Wednesday nights a series by John Ortberg titled “If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat.†The lesson looks at discerning God’s will for our lives and then in faith stepping out obediently to His call on our lives. It simply comes down to trust.
Do I trust God enough to be a water-walker? Once I realize that the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded me to get out of the boat and come to Him, will I overcome my fears and move towards Him? The people who are attending this class will acquire only knowledge if they do not apply the lessons to their lives.
Of course we are to listen and learn of the wisdom in the Bible, but even the wisest man writing some of the wisest sayings realized that learning of God needs to be followed by loving God so we can live for God.
-
“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge; for it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; let them all be fixed upon your lips, so that your trust may be in the LORD; I have instructed you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, that I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you?†(Proverbs 22:17-21)
I love the scripture verse that is part of my signature below, but the verse before it is how we get to the point of delighting in the Lord; we have to trust Him first:
-
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.†(Psalm 37:3)
We don’t trust in the LORD because we don’t trust Him; plain and simple.
Somehow we convince ourselves, whether through demonic or fleshly influence, that God does not want what is best for our lives. We get to the point in our relationship with Jesus worrying that He might be holding out on us.
How sad! How foolish!
We need to seriously read and heed God’s word, which is why Solomon told us to incline our ear before he told us to hear and then apply God’s Word. In other words, we need to lean in closely to get the full measure of God’s wisdom. It is the secret to the Christian life. Matthew Henry put it this way when speaking of today’s passage from Proverbs 22:
-
“To these words, to this knowledge, the ear must be bowed down, and the heart applied by faith and love. To live a life of delight in God and dependence on him, is the foundation of all practical religion. The way to know the certainty of the word of truth is to make conscience of our duty.â€
Now Pastor Henry was not saying faith in a god is the foundation of all practical religions; to him there was no other God than the Triune God in the Bible nor was there any other religion other than Christianity. He would have scoffed at the post-modern world’s concept of all religions being the same and all leading to heaven. And so should you because it is logically impossible for that to be true.
Nevertheless, we who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ can live a joyful life no matter our consequences because we serve a God who defends and protects us:
-
“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.†(Psalm 5:11-12)
Does your trust in Jesus cause you to rejoice, to shout for joy? Whatever is before you this morning, know that the Lord Jesus Christ desires to comfort you to the point of rejoicing, even if life in front of you looks bleak.
Have you built the foundation of your relationship with Jesus Christ on rock solid faith?
In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4
“If you’re receiving these devotionals for the first time and would like to receive them on a regular basis, please click here and use “Please add to Devotional List” as the subject.”
-
Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers