Devotional
A Comparison: trusting the Lord
Jeremiah 17:5-8

Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit."

We have a choice – attempt to be the master of our destiny and like a boat who shuns the pilot, ends up shipwrecked. Our service for God will be dead, empty and barren. There will be no fruit.

Or we can hand our life over to Christ – where the Holy Spirit becomes the pilot who guides us through the intricacies of life. Storms will still occur – temptation is everywhere, as are the snags in the shallows of the water as one approaches port. But we will be guided through.

Some advice from the Apostle Paul

  1. Put self aside – our life is about the other person, not yourself; a concept diametrically opposed to modern psychology. The most important person in the world is not self, but our neighbour. Paul says he dies daily meaning he literally and actively puts self aside; Christ is his centre – his context for any action.
  2. We must actively offer ourselves to the God – our heart, our mind: which is as the NKJV puts it – our reasonable service. Given we have been saved by Jesus who died for us, a little effort on our part is not unreasonable. It’s our living sacrifice. This means we must trust God implicitly – with our heart and mind.
2025-02-16
Devotional
Hymn
Trust and Obey

When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain: Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey. (Refrain)

But we never can prove
the delights of his love until
all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey. (Refrain)

Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey. (Refrain)

John H Sammis (1846-1919)
Posted: 16 Feb 2025