Devotionals

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Jesus said, follow me: What happens next?

 

TRUSTING JESUS

Learning How to Walk by Faith
By Henry Jaegers

 

 

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)

 

 

Have you ever been told that "trusting Jesus is easy?" All that you have to do is pray and ask God to forgive your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart and it’s as easy as that? And though, our salvation experience may begin that way, it is not as easy as that! I have been a Christian longer than most people have been born, and I have found through all these years, that the hardest thing in the world is to "trust Jesus".

 

You see, there is this built-in natural tendency that thinks that somehow in our Christian walk we must help God by doing the best that we can. I recall hearing a visiting preacher talking to us about God removing a mountain. He said that if you want God to remove the mountain, you have to help him by starting to shovel it away. That seems to be quite in line with what I am saying here. I don't recommend this procedure.

 

By the use of all my natural abilities, ambitions, and strivings,  now I am ready to go forth and face the world. I think I must be a driven person and people must recognize that I am a wrecking ball on legs and I love that I am a Christian, my natural ambitions and tendencies are sanctified by the grace of God. I am now God's "strong man" and I can do all things through Christ. I have faith enough to move mountains, just get out of the way and let me loose. Have you ever tended to think that way, now that you are a Christian?

 

We have the example of Abraham in the Bible to help us to understand what it means to trust God without having any expectations for ourselves. Taking God at his word and moving forward because he knew the one whom he trusted was faithful.

 

But lately, the words of Jesus mentioned above have come home to me very clearly especially as I have been teaching lessons on "the sermon on the mount". How can I teach people to trust Jesus if I am all the time trusting myself, my natural abilities, and my past experiences? But notice the power of these words and think about how important they are as we faced the difficulties that seem too large in the coming days ahead.

 

Jesus said, do not worry about tomorrow. These are not the exact words but that is exactly what he means. Do not worry about tomorrow. Why did Jesus say this? Implied in those words of Jesus are these "don't worry about yesterday". Yesterday is gone, the lessons that we learned from them are valuable to help us today, but they are gone; and in the matter of our sins, they are under the blood of Christ and he says that they are forgiven, forgotten, placed behind his back, remembered no more, and areas far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103) So, yesterday is gone; whatever happened yesterday, except for the guilt that Satan may bring to remind you of the past, they are gone but we should not forget the lessons they have taught us. Trusting Jesus means that I don't have to worry about yesterday.

 

Do you know what else Jesus is saying here? He is saying that we don't have to worry about tomorrow either. Are you kidding? Every single anxiety that I face has to do with what's happening tomorrow and what is bound to happen tomorrow and the days after the rest of my life. Do you think it's an easy thing to trust Jesus while all these terrible things are about to face us?

 

But the secret is, for the Christian, that tomorrow never comes. Think about that. Jesus says don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself; what is important is today. I don't have to worry about what's going to happen tomorrow when Jesus is with me today and tomorrow is going to be today and the day after is going to be today. But Jesus finishes by saying “sufficient to the day is the evil thereof." What he is saying is that we can trust Jesus every day of our life and that's what the walk of faith really is. I love that song,  and I sing it often, and here are the words:

Simply trusting every day,

trusting through a stormy way

even when my faith is small

trusting Jesus, that is all,

 

Brightly doth his spirit shine,

 into this poor heart of mine,

while he leads I cannot fall

trusting Jesus that is all

 

Singing if my way is clear

 praying if the path be drear,

If in danger on Him call,

Trusting Jesus that is all

 

Trusting as the moment’s fly,

Trusting as the days go by;

Trusting him whate’er befall,

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

(Edgar Page 1876)

 

Trusting Jesus, it's as simple as that! Are you on the path yet? Trust Him today and don't worry about tomorrow; sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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