Friendship With Jesusનમૂનો

Jesus Asks Me to Trust Him

God wants to live in conversational relationship with us so we become more like him. It has been said many times … he loves us as we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way. Each day, he wants us to grow, reflecting his nature so his kingdom comes. How do we know when his kingdom comes? Whenever and wherever his will is done (Matthew 6:10). What is his will? To live lives marked by love (Matthew 22:36-40).

To live in friendship with Jesus, we are invited to trust who he is, who he wants us to become and what he wants us to do. We demonstrate huge amounts of trust all day long in the reliability or strength of someone or something. I trust the sun will rise in the morning, my laptop will turn on when I open it and people will respect that red means stop at a stoplight.

Trust is faith. Scripture associates “faith” with action. The actions of the people listed in Hebrews 11 all begin with “by faith.” The beginning of the passage tells us faith is the assurance of things we hope for and the confidence in the reality of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The writer repeats “by faith” 19 times. Each time, an action follows. So trust, or faith, is an assurance and confidence that leads to action.

Faith requires leaving our place of safety. The sheep can’t stay in bed (the fold) all day. Because Jesus calls his sheep and leads them out of the fold (John 10:3-4), they have to leave the fold to stay within the sound of his voice.

The great news about following Jesus is that he is the one most worthy of our trust. He created the heavens and the earth (John 1:1-3). He was raised from the dead (Romans 1:1-4). He has authority over everything (Matthew 28:18).

Our faith muscle grows each time we use it. As a new Christian, I was challenged to trust the Lord for $200 to attend a weeklong conference that would help me grow in my faith. I was stunned when God provided $205 (I bought a Josh McDowell book with the extra $5). That launched me into a lifetime of trusting him for his provision. I have now seen him provide faithfully for 40 years of full-time ministry on three continents.

So, not only is Jesus speaking to us, he is in front of us leading, and he is in us by his Spirit. He invites us to converse with him and trust him with everything in our lives.

Pattern

Ask Jesus to show you where you may be putting your trust in lesser things. If you have fear, you may not be trusting in his power. If you are angry, you may not be trusting in his authority. If you are unforgiving, you may not be trusting in his love for you and the person you feel resentment toward. If you are doubting, you may not be trusting in his goodness.

Overcoming the objection

Do I have to trust Jesus with everything? Yes. It makes him smile when we trust him. Our granddaughter is 16 months old and implicitly trusts her parents. It delights them to know she trusts them for all she needs. She is fearless when she is with them because she knows they are hyper-focused on her well-being. Jesus is hyper-focused on your well-being.

Prayer

Jesus, speak to me this day as I learn to trust you more. I thank you that you created and sustain the world, you have been raised from the dead and you are seated at the right hand of the Father. You have all authority in heaven and on earth. I lean on you for all I need this day. Today, I trust you for … (tell him what you want to trust him with).