Monday, July 20, 2009

trust me

Cherie's testimony, Pastor Jack's message, and Pastor Sharon's prayers were all powerful to me yesterday in speaking to me words I needed to hear: "Trust me." From the question, "Who/what do you trust?"

Faith in God through Jesus involves trust. We trust nothing less than our entire lives into God's hands. This means we seek to obey God in all things, which means seeking to live by the Spirit and thus fulfilling the requirements of God's law, of which love is at the heart.

We believe God is trustworthy, in our heads. But do we really believe it? Are we really ready to let go of whatever it is that puts us in control? That gives us what we think we must have, or want? Or instead, are we willing to give ourselves by faith, over completely to God? And begin to walk the new way in him. A way that is not easy, us living in the new creation yet both in the midst and as a part of the old. As well as a life of participation with Christ and his Body in sufferings and groans with the Spirit for the completion of the new creation.

Faith is based on God's revelation to us in Jesus, and particularly grounded in Jesus' death and resurrection for us and all things. But on this side we don't see all things made right and new, as of yet. And we see all around us much to the contrary.

But now in Jesus we are part of God's solution through the new creation, something which beginning now, and someday completed, will be impacted by God even through our lives now. So that our lives will indeed matter. As we learn to really trust God, and entrust ourselves to him.

What might you like to add to this, or any thoughts.

6 comments:

Maalie said...

Ted, I know I am just off out, but could not resist delaying and offering a comment here:

>Faith in God through Jesus involves trust. We trust nothing less than our entire lives into God's hands.

I read recently a Psychology PhD thesis on the subject of "control" (I mentioned this in another place where I no longer go). Feeling "in control" has verifiable health benefits (I could list them). When a person has the feeling of being out of control ("Why did lightning strike our village, not theirs?"; "Why is my child suffering and not theirs?", for example) one can regain a perception of control by placing one's trust in a deity. It takes away the feeling of helplessness to think that somebody else has the steering wheel.

In a comment I made earlier, it is no wonder that sentient man devised a supernatural entity; in fact I would suggest it is inevitable that this happens. Different cultures have different ways which lead to hatred and bloodshed.

A Muslim is as equally convinced that "theirs" is the one true faith, the Koran the one true book and will kill to defend it (as also do Christians, of course).

OK, that is something to think about, I really am off now.

All the best Ted.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Thanks, Maalie.

I would reply that the fact that humanity does have built in us a propensity toward religion and believing in a god, or gods is no assurance that such a god does not exist. That some god over all other gods and beings exists, has certainly been well nigh universal, as you say.

As to conflicts in religions which result in bloodshed, there is always an answer to that, even though some answers are difficult to swallow. At the heart of all the major religions is a core belief that points to justice and love. All religions living by those beliefs would avoid bloodshed. However both in precept and practice we know this is sadly not the case.

Since Jesus came in fulfillment of the old covenant so that the Spirit is making a new humanity, this new humanity in Jesus the Messiah, is meant to fulfill all that is good and true in all the religions. Of course that is not the expressed purpose, as it's a fulfillment of what God planned to do through Israel for the world, but knew that because of their being in Adam, only in Jesus would this purpose be realized, and then all Jews and Gentiles by faith enter into this victory of Christ and become part of the solution for the world- God's intention.

So that's from my perspective, a theological one, though you do certainly have a kind of theology or worldview that seems to come out of your understanding of science.

But the answer we believe with reference to what is behind and what sustains and what the goal is of everything, we believe is in Jesus.

nancy said...

i had the thought recently of how the church is to be the bride, and how it is imperfect here and now, which led me to be grateful for the Love that He has for His church even with her flaws.

it is just that it is so easy for us as part of the body to see only the flaws and expect her to be perfect here and now.

Maalie said...

Nancy, wouldn't you expect that anything created by an all-loving, all-knowing all-powerful God ought to be perfect?

I don't understand by what you mean about a "bride"?

Ted M. Gossard said...

Maalie,

The church is Christ's Body on earth, and his Bride in looking forward in Revelation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

We in Jesus are being perfected in this life, made to be like him, in anticipation of that union to come, when we are with him and each other forever, and when Jesus and the dimension of heaven appear, and heavn and earth become one, in the new creation.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Nancy,
Great thought. Amen to that!