Not willing to set aside; or to let go; is this equal to not trusting God.?.
It can be difficult for us as humans to trust!
Worry and fret leads to sleep loss, troubles and stress; faith shows confidence, trust, and brings peace of mind.
Do I fully trust Gods Sovereignty?
Trust His love for me?
Am I trusting in my goodness/lack there of; or am I trusting Him when He says Jesus paid the ransom price for me and I’m saved based on that alone and by nothing I bring to the table beyond seeking to trust, follow, and obey Jesus.
And, if ALL I have is a gift from God (James 1:17) then I have nothing at all within myself that did not originate from God to begin with.
Failing to acknowledge He created us and gave us what we need to survive and flourish leads to over confidence in ourself, and possibly over time becoming arrogant and so independent that we think we don’t need others and don’t need God. Perhaps this is why God loves the humble so very much.
The proud young ruler was so certain he’d kept all the commands and he’d done all required yet he felt the need to ask what else was required. There was no humility or acknowledgment that this was accomplished by the grace of God or that God was his source of life, power, strength, breath.
That said, how could he or even I arrogantly think or assume I have the power to make anything better— if I do, It is Him who gave me that power, strength, ability, gift. It’s the same with salvation. When we fail to trust Him, and fail to trust every good and perfect gift is from Him we develop the illusion that we have more control than we really have; build confidence in ourselves rather than Him.
If we truly believe in God, that He is who He says He is; and He can do what He says He can do; that He isn’t man that He should lie; trust He is Good, Faithful, and True—
If He is the very Breath of Life within us and If everything comes from Him, how can one be so arrogant to think they have any control beyond their personal choices which also originated with Him.
The Disciples Difference
Sometimes all it takes for a fresh understanding, is reading afresh in another translation, but be cautious it is trustworthy and accurate, not teaching contrary to reliable translations.
Today, I read the story of the rich young ruler in Scott, McKnight’s book The Second Testament: A New Translation, as well as, the verses following pertaining to the disciples as they decided to follow, Jesus. In that moment, their faith/trust was great. They chose to leave things, jobs, family behind and follow unconditionally as opposed the the wealthy ruler who went away sorrowful. Yet, we also cannot forget the many times as they followed that Jesus proclaimed, “oh you of little faith.”
Their faith wavered at times; Peter’s in the middle of walking on waves of water in a storm.
If they were face to face with Jesus and wavered, how much more can those of us who believe sight unseen have the same tendency?
We are all human and I doubt there is a single soul that has never struggled with a bout or two of doubt, unbelief, or with distrust. It might even be exacerbated if we tend to mistrust ourselves, especially in handling the disappointment that comes when our trust in someone or something appears misplaced or is delayed beyond our patience or understanding.
May we ask like the father who’s son suffering from childhood requested, ” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
“ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants. Deuteronomy 30:19 NASB
Living in His Grace 