Trust in God

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Proverbs 3:5

Trusting God can be very easy in seasons of plenty but challenging during difficult times.When we face challenges or when things don’t go according to plan, our level of trust and confidence in God is put to the test. Little wonder the wise one needed to remind us that trust is essential if we want to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. Trusting in God means putting our faith in Him completely. It means acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers and that we need His help to navigate through life’s challenges. When we trust in God, we are surrendering control over our lives to Him, knowing that He will guide us towards what is best for us. He always knows what is best for us, God is our best driver of our destiny but as humans with human tendencies, sometimes we may want to exercise our control or free will to choose that which we believe is best for us. Letting go of our control over our lives can be quite challenging and difficult and that is when we ‘lean on our own understanding’.

But the wise one, warns against leaning on our own understanding, against relying solely on our own knowledge or experience instead of seeking wisdom from God. Often, when faced with difficult decisions or situations, it’s tempting to rely on our own intuition or logic rather than seeking guidance from above. Relying solely on ourselves can lead us astray. Our human understanding is limited and flawed; only God has perfect knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, if we truly want to make wise decisions and live a purposeful life, it’s essential that we seek His guidance above all else.

Trusting God should be with all our hearts. The heart represents not only our emotions but also our innermost desires and motivations. Trusting in God with all our hearts means committing ourselves fully to Him – not just intellectually but also emotionally. When we truly trust in God with all our hearts, there’s no room for doubt or fear. We know that He will always guide us towards what is best for us, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable. This kind of trust requires vulnerability and surrender, but it also brings great rewards – peace, joy, and a sense of purpose.

Trusting in God is not just a one-time decision; it’s a daily choice. Each day presents new challenges and opportunities to either trust in God or rely on our own understanding. Therefore, we must make the conscious effort to choose trust every day. This means spending time with God through prayer and reading His Word. It means seeking wisdom from Him before making decisions instead of relying solely on our own understanding. It means choosing to see the world through His eyes rather than our own limited perspective.

Hence we ought to surrender control over our lives to God completely and seek His guidance above all else. Therefore let us make the daily choice to put our faith in Him completely so that we can experience the fullness of life He has planned for us.

How to Approach people with Differing Opinion or Believe

A few days ago, I came across someone who was celebrating a festival I believe is unchristian and what really struck me was the outfit as well as the smile that that person in question was wearing. When the person looked at me, the smile was contagious, I could not help but smile back. Then, I felt like complimenting their outfit but then I thought that I did not agree with the cause they were celebrating and hence kept quiet. But as I walked past and ignored every nudge to just say that their outfit was nice; it dawned on me that I probably missed an opportunity to do good. As I went on, I kept thinking of what might have been and I realised that if I stopped to give that compliment, it could have been a good way to start a conversation and that could have possibly given me the chance to share Christ.

Now, I look back and it seems to me that sometimes we may miss opportunities to really appreciate the good in other people even when or if we do not believe or accept their way of life or the things they believe and do. This experience brought to my memory that age-old German proverb – do not through out the baby with the bath water.

As Christians, sometimes we disagree with others on doctrinal issues or even societal issues and how to handle a lot of these issues. I do not want to be particular about any issue, but I am certain you can think of a number of issues that Christians disagree about. Sadly, far too often we see how these disagreements create division among the body of Christ and in the society also. However, if we but take differing opinions in context and accept what is good about them, the individual(s) or even what may be good about other people’s ideas or lifestyle with a view to establishing a common ground, we may find opportunities to speak to them and engage in a meaningful dialogue. Now, I am not saying that we should take part in other people’s sins; far be it from me. What I am suggesting though, is the principles which our master Jesus Christ operated by when he was on earth. If we consider how Jesus handled a few of such issues we will draw meaningful learning points.

A case in point is the way Jesus handled the matter with Zacchaeus, a tax collector who was known among the people as a sinner. Jesus did the unthinkable, he recognised Zacchaeus’ longing to meet with Him and offered to dine with him (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus in fact was used to taking this sort of approach that people wondered if he was really of God as he “dined with sinners” (Luke 19:7). He also chose to go through Samaria where he met the Samaritan woman at the well bearing in mind that the Jews and the Samaritans did not have anything in common (Jn 4:4-9). When Jesus was confronted with the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, he showed the people a very different side of the argument. He pointed out that the executors were also guilty of the same crime and asked the woman to go and sin no more (John 8:1-11).

So a few learning points from our master’s example –

Jesus saw potentials in people – in the case of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus certainly saw that she could go on and overcome the sin for which she was about to be murdered, hence why he gave her another chance to do so. This therefore encourages us to recognize the potential for people to change and become better and endeavor to relate to them on that premise. If we realise that anyone can change with the help of God, then we will be more open to dealing carefully with them and helping them with gentle words of encouragement towards that path.

Jesus saw the good in the people – Jesus knew who Zacchaeus was, although am not suggesting that we may know everyone as Jesus knew Zacchaeus but am simply suggesting that if we look beyond the surface, we will be able to see tale-tell signs. For Zacchaeus the sign might have been his desire to see Jesus. His physical stature was going to prevent him from being able to see Jesus, but he went the extra mile to overcome this by climbing a sycamore tree. Sometimes we may need to look around for people on sycamore trees, people who may be struggling with addictions, lust, disobedience and so on but still have that desire to overcome their challenges.

Jesus was compassionate and showed mercy – to be able to encourage people to abstain from sinful acts, Jesus first showed compassion and mercy and this ‘melted the heart’ of the people concerned. Certainly, the woman caught in the act of adultery was grateful for the mercy, knowing that without Jesus she would have been dead. This must have prompted her to do what the Jesus said to her – go and sin no more. If we show mercy and have compassion for the lost souls, it will help them towards reconciliation with God.

Jesus recognised that ignorance influences decisions – when the woman at the well refused to give drink to Jesus, he simply replied, “…If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” – Jn 4:10. By recognising the ignorance in the woman, Jesus used the opportunity to show her the truth. If we also recognise that some people despite their claim to be knowledgeable though they ignorant, it will influence the way we relate to them about the message of the gospel. For example, some people are ignorant that there is life after death and that after death comes judgement; and for such people, a gentle show of God’s care like Jesus did, which may involve going out of our sphere or comfort zone to reach out to them can go a long way.

Therefore, it is important to find common grounds with people with differing views and lifestyle and show the Christ-like life. And to find common grounds from where to share the gospel of truth does not mean we compromise our faith but it means that we are following in the footsteps of our master in creating a healthy environment for sharing the gospel.