Daily Devotional For Saturday, February 22, 2025
Good morning Southside! We live in a very fast paced world. News gets reported as it is happening in real time with no censorship. We have the Internet and apps to stay in touch and informed, but the truth is,with all of this, we cannot control our world or people. We pride ourselves on our education, degrees and experience and yet find ourselves as a fish out of water when tragedy hits. As Christians we say we trust God and in reality, many times, we do but sometimes it is a front to cover our own insecurities. Not only is God all-powerful (omnipotent – nothing beyond His ability) and present everywhere at all times (omnipresent –nothing outside of His scope), He is also all-knowing (omniscient – He knows even our darkest thoughts and secrets).
Trust in God comes from believing the truth that the Bible says about Him. You can’t have a healthy stable relationship with anyone without trust and you can’t have trust without truth. They are the two pillars that hold up any relationship. Listen to Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. (9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts” (NASB).
One of the reasons we need repentance is because of the truth of Isaiah 55:8-9. The gap between God’s perception of our sin and our perception of our sin is a chasm. We may not see much wrong in how we compare to others, but that is not the point. We and our neighbors are not the standard for comparison. God is the standard and we “all fall short” of His standard. Our intuitive feelings and well-established habits can’t be defended against His standard of holiness and righteousness. They need to be reexamined.
This means we must quit judging God. We have to quit making God in our image. For a healthy relationship to take place between God and us, we need to let God be God. Do you allow God to be God? You may have made a profession of faith and been baptized. You might now serve others and give generously to God’s Kingdom purposes. But do you allow God to be Lord over your life? It is easy to get frustrated with God when He doesn’t do what we want, when we want, and the way we want.
But Scripture says God knows what is best. He has proven time and again that His thoughts and His ways are higher and better than any human thoughts, including yours and mine. So, let’s invite Him to be God over every area of our lives. Let’s invite Him to be God over our thoughts and our emotions. Let’s invite Him to be God over our relationships, our health, and our work. Whatever we are facing, God knows the details.
This means for one thing, we have to quit rationalizing our sin. You’ve heard me say in sermons many times, anytime we rationalize, we are making up rational lies. Letting God be God is a challenge when we love being our own god. It all goes to trust – who do you trust more with your life? Yourself? Or The Lord Jesus Christ? Now, before you give me the “church answer,” what would God’s answer be to that question about your life?
This means we also have to quit rationalizing our level of trust in God. Some people say, “Trust is a two-way street.” Well, God knows He can’t trust us with anything. We are evil and we are sinful. We are fickle and we are faithless at times. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (NASB).
Notice what Hebrews 11:6 does not say: It doesn’t say, “Without sin it is impossible to please God.” It doesn’t say, “Without perfection it is impossible to please God.” It doesn’t say, “Without tithing or serving it is impossible to please God.” NO. It says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Not even slightly possible – impossible. So, when it comes to Isaiah 55:8-9, to have any kind of relationship with God, we must trust He is telling us the truth in the first and then trust that truth – meaning – trust Him.Raise your hands and say, “Lord, You are welcome here. I need Your help, and I invite You into this situation. I trust You."
Questions To Consider
- In which areas of your life do you need to trust God more and why?
- Since trust is built on truth, what do you need to do to deepen your relationship with God so that you are willing to trust Him more?
- In which ways have you or do you make God in your own image?
- God not only knows the details, He is the Creator of details. This means where and when we have questions with no answers, we leave it in His hand. What in your life do you need to trust God with unanswered details?
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 92:5b, “. . . Your thoughts are very deep” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of life. You have called me out of darkness, into the Kingdom of Your Son. Jesus, I want You to be Lord of my entire life, and I choose to live for Your glory. May the thoughts of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing in Your sight. Open my eyes to see and my heart to understand how to honor and glorify You. In Your name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly