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Topic: Trust and Obey (don't write about the song) (05/21/15)
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TITLE: The Dynamic Duo | Previous Challenge Entry
By Julie Blackman
05/28/15 -
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You’re going along and all of a sudden life throws you a curve ball. What do you do? Option 1 - Panic; or Option 2 - Rest in God (trust and obey)? That’s easy we all shout, Option 2! However, that’s easier said than done. Sometimes when challenges come our way, we may not be ready for them and run straight for Option 1. Then, after we’ve exhausted ourselves, we finally approach the mercy throne of God and pray for Him to deliver and help us.
It’s all about “The Dynamic Duo:” Trust and Obey. Two simple, yet mighty words. There are several examples in the bible of individuals who were successful in implementing trust in and obedience to God in their lives, and then there are others who didn’t fare well.
Firstly, I think of Noah. He followed God’s instructions to build an ark (Genesis 6:22, NKJV) which would have taken years to complete. I can’t imagine the amount of taunting and ridicule that he endured as people watched his dedicated efforts to complete the task at hand. Yet Noah trusted God, obeyed His commands and he and his family were spared the flood. I am encouraged by Noah because he demonstrates that when we are going through trials that seem to last a long time, being faithful to God, trusting, and remaining obedient is key to overcoming.
Secondly, I think of Abraham. God told him to sacrifice his son. Notice Abraham’s response did not include 1) trying to negotiate with God or 2) Second guessing what he heard. He knew the voice of God. When he went up to the mountain to sacrifice his son, he told the men he took with him that he and his son would be back after they go up to worship (Genesis 22:5, NKJV). Even when his son questioned where the sacrifice was, Abraham responds God will provide (Genesis 22:7-8, NKJV). In this example I learn how important it is to know the voice of God so that when He gives me a directive, I will know it is coming from Him and to trust and obey. God may have a command for us that may seem unreasonable, but we must be faithful to Him.
In the examples above both men followed the instructions and requests of God to the letter. What about if we partly obey? Well, if this happens, then we can also assume that we do not fully trust. In this context, I think of King Saul. Unfortunately, he chose Option 1 and panicked when the philistines began to gather at Michmash. Although he waited seven days per the instruction of Samuel, he did not allow the full seven day time period to expire for Samuel’s arrival at Gilgal. In addition he took on the role of a priest to offer up a burnt offering (1 Samuel, 13: 8-12, NKJV). A big mistake. 1 Samuel 13:14 says, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” There can be serious repercussions when we do not trust and partially obey God. I have learned lessons from making hasty decisions.
If we find ourselves in a situation whereby we’re facing consequences due to our actions, we can still turn to God to help us (Psalm 37:23-26, NKJV). He loves us unconditionally (John 15:13, NKJV). You may ask, “okay, well how do you explain when I did trust God and obeyed Him, things still didn’t go the way I planned?” I would encourage that we must remember that His thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9, NKJV), but he does have a plan for our lives. Also, we must recognize that He is sovereign (Psalms 103:19, NKJV).
So when I think about these two words (trust and obey), I picture a dual electronic device charger. All we need to do is to plug into God, Who is our Heavenly Power Source and stay focused on Him (Colossians 3:1-2, NKJV). Once we do this we can be ready to exercise “The Dynamic Duo” in our everyday lives.
God Bless.
Nonfiction - Encouragement
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