Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.
—Proverbs 16:3
Trying to figure everything out before you obey God will steal your joy. God doesn’t have to answer you when you ask, “Why God, why?” Trust means that you won’t always have 11 answers when you want them. Sometimes you just have to get to the other side of a situation to see the whole picture of what God is doing in your life.
God may be trying to separate you from some influence in your life that is keeping you from receiving the better plan He has for you. He may be “pruning” you to encourage new, healthier growth (See John 15:1-8). Use uncertain times to demonstrate your faith by trusting Him.
Willing to Pay the Price
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Mark 1:32–35
One of the breakout stars of the Rio Olympics in 2016 was a gymnast named Simone Biles. She won five medals, four of them gold. Her routines were much more difficult than those of her competitors and her scores reflected the technical excellence of her performance. A few years before, Biles was virtually unknown, but she wanted to rise to the top. So four years before the Olympics she decided that the twenty hours per week she was spending in the gym was not enough. She added twelve hours more each week to her training schedule. The sacrifice of time and effort Biles invested was on full display on the medal stand.
There is no substitute for labor and effort in the Christian life. After Jesus had preached and taught all day, and then healed the sick well into the night, He was exhausted. Though He was fully God, He was also fully human, and He got tired. Yet very early the next morning, He went out alone to pray. Jesus knew that He needed that time in communion with His Father to prepare for the challenges of the coming day. One preacher remarked that too many Christians have traded “Sweet Hour of Prayer” for “Just a Little Talk with Jesus.” We cannot casually follow Jesus. We must instead be willing to pay the price and put forth the effort if we are to be like Him.
Mark 1:32–35
One of the breakout stars of the Rio Olympics in 2016 was a gymnast named Simone Biles. She won five medals, four of them gold. Her routines were much more difficult than those of her competitors and her scores reflected the technical excellence of her performance. A few years before, Biles was virtually unknown, but she wanted to rise to the top. So four years before the Olympics she decided that the twenty hours per week she was spending in the gym was not enough. She added twelve hours more each week to her training schedule. The sacrifice of time and effort Biles invested was on full display on the medal stand.
There is no substitute for labor and effort in the Christian life. After Jesus had preached and taught all day, and then healed the sick well into the night, He was exhausted. Though He was fully God, He was also fully human, and He got tired. Yet very early the next morning, He went out alone to pray. Jesus knew that He needed that time in communion with His Father to prepare for the challenges of the coming day. One preacher remarked that too many Christians have traded “Sweet Hour of Prayer” for “Just a Little Talk with Jesus.” We cannot casually follow Jesus. We must instead be willing to pay the price and put forth the effort if we are to be like Him.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Unless we are willing to devote the time and effort necessary, we will never see God’s power in our lives.
Follow God’s Leading
by Joyce Meyer - posted June 25, 2017Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.
—Proverbs 16:3
Trying to figure everything out before you obey God will steal your joy. God doesn’t have to answer you when you ask, “Why God, why?” Trust means that you won’t always have 11 answers when you want them. Sometimes you just have to get to the other side of a situation to see the whole picture of what God is doing in your life.
God may be trying to separate you from some influence in your life that is keeping you from receiving the better plan He has for you. He may be “pruning” you to encourage new, healthier growth (See John 15:1-8). Use uncertain times to demonstrate your faith by trusting Him.
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