I
have a gas grill on the back deck at our home in the North Carolina mountains
and on almost any Summer or Fall evening, you will probably find me, grill spatula
in hand, flipping something meaty and tasty on that grill. I have had this
grill for almost two years and I must admit, I have not exercised the kind of
care that was needed to keep it in pristine or even good conditions.
There
have been more than a few occasions when I have finished cooking our supper on
the grill; then, I head inside to enjoy
the "fruits of my labor." In doing this, I have left the grill top open and the whole
unit uncovered. If I had done that only a time or two, no big deal; however, in
my laziness of multiple times of not taking care of the grill, I have began to notice
some disturbing brown spots on the grill plates and other utensils I use in
cooking...those spots are RUST...
SOMETHING
THAT IS NOT BENEFICIAL TO MY GRILL OR THE FOOD THAT IS COOKED ON THOSE GRILL
PLATES...which got me thinking about the sermon our pastor shared last
Sunday...how we are to TRUST GOD FOR HE IS TRUSTWORTHY!!!
Proverbs
3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your
heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will
guide you on the right paths.
You
would think this Scripture would be a simple task for us as believers to
follow...TRUST GOD AND FOLLOW WHERE HE LEADS, RIGHT?
But
here's the rub, and it's found in a Matthew 6: 25-28, where Jesus instructs his
disciples by saying, "“That is why I
tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and
drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more
than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t
plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.
And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can
all your worries add a single moment to your life? (New Living Translation)
Yes,
the Master had to call his disciples out on how they were living...THEY WERE
TRUSTING IN WHAT THEY COULD SEE RATHER
TRUSTING IN THE ONE THAT IS UNSEEN BUT WHO IS ALWAYS TRUSTWORTHY....OUR
HEAVENLY FATHER GOD!!!
You
see when we worry about our circumstances, get strung out with anxiety about
things we THINK might happen or just find ourselves in a funk over life, we are
letting RUST begin to CORRODE OUR TRUST....
AND A BELIEVER'S LIFE THAT DOES NOT EXUDE TRUST FOR OTHERS TO SEE IS A LIFE
THAT PRETTY SOON WILL LOOK LIKE THE LIFE OF AN UNBELIEVER. Besides, as Christ asks
so poignantly, "who can use worry to
add a SINGLE moment to your life?"
Let's
be real....when we worry over things which may or may not happen; worry over
bills, money, health problems, or other concerns of life; what are we really
saying to God? Probably something like these...
1)
God you are Good, but I need Great in my situation
2)
God my problems are SO big, I need a miracle
3)
God, I love you; but I'm not sure even you can fix my problem
4)
God I love you, but I can't help but worry about my life
And
there are probably many more excuses that we tell ourselves so that our worry
becomes our comfort rather than putting our TRUST in the God who created us and
sent His Son to save us.
Rust
in our Trust is a slow, almost imperceptible, conditioning of allowing our
fears to well up in our minds as we spend our energy worrying about what might
be rather than trusting in a God that says as we acknowledge who He is, the
Power He holds, the love He bestows...the more we will see Him guide and direct
our steps to lead us through any storm that life may bring our way.
So
how do we knock the RUST OFF OUR TRUST...Just follow the words of Jesus in
Matthew 6:33-34 which says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So
don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s
trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:33-34 NLT)
So
my final question to you today is...WHAT ME WORRY? And our unanimous answer as His sons and
daughters should be.... NO WAY!!! FOR MY
GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY AND I CAN PLACE MY LIFE IN HIS HANDS FOR HE CARES FOR ME!!!!
Knocking
off the rust on my trust....following where He leads,
WPQ
POEM FOR THE
DAY....
The Bible is our
Guide Book
For the journey
that lies ahead;
We can face the
coming unknown
With excitement
or with dread?
We can believe
in the Father
And the love He
has for us...
As we search His
Holy Scriptures
There's a few
things that we must...
We must TRUST in
His Holy will
And the plans He
brings to bear;
We must take our
worries to the Throne
And gladly leave
them there!
We must love our
fellow neighbors
And our enemies
as well...
As we seek to
share His saving grace
That keeps us
each from Hell.
So don't let the
Devil do to you
What he's done
to the unjust...
Just live your life in service
And keep the
Rust off your TRUST!
WPQ © October
2022
