Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 16:16-20
Prov 16:16-20
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
2 Cor 1:9-10
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
In the ESV version the word “faith” is found 250 times but the word “trust” is only found twice. This is interesting to me because the word “trust” is the basis of our faith. We trust in God, so we trust his word. We trust his promises, which are many. One of the lexicons defines faith as trust conjoined with obedience. But like saving faith, saving trust is always going to obey. Trust is the basis of hope.
It is easier for us to say we have faith in God than it is for us to really trust him. My brother used to demonstrate faith telling a story of a man who was going to walk a tight rope across Niagara Falls. Before he began his walk, he asked the crowd how many of them believed he could do it and the entire crowd cheered. He then asked for a volunteer to ride on his shoulders while he walked across. The crowd was silent and not a single person raised their hand or came forward.
It is easy for us to say we have faith in God and in Jesus his Son, but will we get on his shoulders and let him take us through life? To trust Jesus as our Lord means that we are willing to let him tell us how to live. We let him dictate what is right and what is wrong. Do we follow his teaching and example of not seeking revenge when done wrong, and turning the other cheek? When he was dying on the cross, without anyone asking, he pleaded with the Father to forgive them because he kept entrusting himself to the one who judges righteously. Do we do this?
O Lord God, righteous and just, give me trust in you that is great enough to let you be the judge of all. Help me trust you enough that I will be willing to forgive anyone who has done me wrong, even when they do not ask for forgiveness. Use me to serve you by serving others. Remind me always that my responsibility is to do your will to the best of my ability, and then leave the results up to you. Thank you for your love for me and thank you for all you have done for me in my life and continue to do for me every day. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
