Pastor Caroline - Trust and Obey

 

Trust and Obey

 

In Proverbs 29 Verse 25 the Good News Bible tell us:

(25) It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.

 

I love the line, “but if you trust the Lord, you are safe”.

It reminds me of an old gospel song- Safe In the Arms of Jesus.

 

Sometimes our pride and/ or vanity can bring us to a place of fear and anxiousness. Then we face disappointments, problems and despair. What do we do then? I have met people over my lifetime who were so concerned as to what others thought of them that it drove them to distraction. Distraction can bring us to a place where we cannot and do not pay attention to our surroundings. This can cause an accident or misjudgment that brings on pain or any number of outcomes. When we become people who are trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak, or people pleasers we are treading on uneven territory. It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you as we are told here in Proverbs chapter 29 verse 25. In our walk with Jesus and serving Him daily do we look to please God or man? We cannot do both. When we choose; we set ourselves apart. If we choose to be concerned with what others think of us, then, we of course try to live our lives to please others and be accepted by them. If we choose to follow the Lord and do as He asks, then, we may well be set apart from the masses of the population. However, the last line of Proverbs 29:25 tells us:

but, if you trust the Lord, you are safe.

 

Psalm 56 Verse 4 in the Good News Bible tells us: I trust in God and I’m not afraid; I praise him for what he’s promised. What can a mere human being do to me?

 

A lady recently asked me how can I get rid of this fear that grips my life? She fears not being as good as others. She definitely is and there is no question about it, but, that is not how she sees herself. There in is the problem, it is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you.

 

As we sat in conversation I gave this lady the two scriptures I have used today. I told her to live her life for Jesus, to start each day with a prayer to Him, call out to Him during the day to help with whatever situation she is facing, and to end every day in prayer with Him just before going to sleep. Then her thoughts are on Jesus and not on any one particular person. I also shared a saying I used to hear the older folks say when I was a child. John Lingate was the author of this wonderful saying and it is so true.

You can please some of the people all of the time,

You can please all of the people some of the time,

but you can’t please all the people all the time.

 

Nor can we live up to the expectations others put on us and even the ones we put on ourselves sometimes. Sometimes it is dangerous to be concerned with what we think of ourselves, because we can be hard on ourselves.

 

I reminded this lady God made her, and He does not make mistakes. He helps mature us, encourages us, teach us, disciplines us and walks through life with us when we accept Him as Lord and Savior. We are all called in our Christian walk to spread the love of Jesus, and the good news the Bible teaches us. This is her calling as a Christian and she is to walk in it, as we all are.

She has been on the receiving end of words that were not encouraging, life-changing or life building. She has always felt she has had to please others to be accepted. Such a burden for one to carry throughout a lifetime. I pray that both she and anyone reading this message today will see the release of this burden in their lives, in the words of Proverbs 29:25.

 

God’s word tells us we can be strong in the difficult times of life because He will be with us. His assurance and power in our lives helps us understand peace and contentment in such a way that joy rises up from the depths of our being. Our walk with the Lord, our time of fellowship with Him, strengthens who we are in Him, so much so, that we never have to please man. So friends, you do not need to be concerned about others what others think of you because when you trust in the Lord you are safe.

 

Today I will close this writing with what I told this lady in conversation about pleasing people or God.

We live in fear of pleasing people; for no matter what we do, not everyone will be pleased with us, however, if we live our lives pleasing onto the Lord, He will keep us safe. When we come to the Lord every day with an open honest heart, and live a faith filled life, doing that which brings honour to Him, then we are pleasing God.

 

Trust and obey for there’s no other way,

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

 

I suggested to my lady friend to listen to the song and I told her she could find it on YouTube. Trust and Obey by Don Moen. Such a beautiful song to bring us close to the Lord and remind us to Whom we belong.

 

You are His masterpiece!!