Trusting God with Our Most Precious Possessions

After speaking this week with a friend who has been concerned about her father's health I have come to realize that many of us do not really trust God to care for the people who are closest to us (our most precious possessions). I understand that we are all human and will inevitably go through times in our lives where we will lose someone, but that is not what I am really talking about. I'm talking about the everyday trust in God to be there when our loved ones need Him. We are afraid to let go of them and put them in the hands of the one who created all things. We say we trust until we are faced with a crisis that “we” have no control of. To be completely honest, I tend to trust God more with my own life than I do with the lives of my children and grandchildren. I know! This is coming from a woman who has trust and control issues (Thank you Lord for your patience, grace, and mercy). So let's work on this...

Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and to lean not on our own understanding. This is where the rubber meets the road. We have got to trust God completely without understanding His plans. "Faith" is that trust and our starting point.

As Christians, our beliefs are built on having faith. We are to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on a cross, and rose to life again after three days in the grave. After accepting these truths and giving ourselves over to God for His salvation our faith usually grows. This growth comes with getting to know our Lord and Savior Jesus. The Bible states in Romans 10:17, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (NIV).

So it seems that faith grows as one hears the message of Jesus. Getting involved in a bible believing Church with a pastor that preaches the true message of Jesus is a good start. Having a time set aside daily to read the bible and discussing your findings with God (prayer) is key. God is your Father and the one who loves you and your precious ones more that can be fathomed.

A good example of this is found in Isaiah 49:15-16, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” (NIV). Another verse that sticks out to me is, “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those that fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey his precepts” (Psalms 103:17-18). I love this, “Their children’s children” are made righteous and loved. This sounds like God takes care of those we love. The Father knows our hearts and knows our fears. While I'm at it I'll give you one more. Act 16:31 states, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household” (NIV). Best News Ever!!

So you see, If we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that Jesus is our Savior. We can completely trust Him to care for our most precious possessions. If not, get to know the one who gives that joy and peace that leads to that kind of trust. What do you have to lose, but the misery of hanging on to something that you could never control...Proverbs 18:24 says it so well, “ One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”(NIV). That friend is Jesus Christ...

Please enjoy this music video by Third Day.

Have a Blessed week learning to Trust.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

...But the greatest of these is LOVE

Many of us are familiar with John 3: 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life” (NIV). God the Father loved us so much that He gave His son Jesus to die in our place. There is no Love that is Greater, period! As you can see “Love” has a major role in the life of a Child of God. The Father's great Love for us is the purpose of Jesus' ministry on Earth, but He also commands us to Love each other.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. David Jeremiah, a pastor, and author, “Love is worthless unless it acts out, unless it's expressed in deed and behavior.” Love is an action word or verb. In order to love, one needs to move and express feelings. This can be done with words and deeds. Letting a person know you love them by telling them how much you care or by being there for them during the good and not so good times in their lives. If we love one another, we cannot hate one another! Love only lives in the absence of hate.

In Mathew 22: 37-40 Jesus explained this after the disciples ask Him about the greatest commandment in the Law, “ Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (NIV). As you can see, We are commanded to love. Our love for the Father and one another is the Key.

Corinthians 13:1 Paul stated, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (NIV). Paul also spoke of love in Romans 13:8, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (NIV).

Loving the Father first means giving our whole life and heart over to Him and trusting Him to love us back. Loving our neighbors as ourselves means seeing them in the same light that we see ourselves. In John 15:12 Jesus Christ stated, “My command is this; love each other as I have loved you” (NIV). If we love the Father first, we can take that love and turn it around to our brothers and sisters. We can forgive them and love them with the same love and forgiveness the Father has given us.

I will leave you this week with a reminder of what “Love” really is. 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells it as it is, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Use this verse along with Jesus' action of love, as He gave His life for ours on the Cross, to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Have a Blessed Week Loving each Other,

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes