Commitment To Trust - Part Ii

Most of the time, our desires are quite self-centered. But the Lord’s desire deals with ministering to others and serving one another in love. How do we know this? We know it by examining the ministry of Jesus. In Acts 10:38 Peter said that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil.

Jesus wasn’t interested in wining and dining himself at the best restaurants in town. He wasn’t concerned about luxury hotels. In fact, He didn’t have a place to lay his head. He wasn’t interested in making himself comfortable or acquiring a comfortable home. He wasn’t interested in retirement so he could take life easy.

His focus was on ministering to hurting people who were enslaved to sin and Satan! And the more we put our trust in the Lord the more our desire will be to help hurting people and minister to them. And the greatest delight in life comes from helping others, from serving one in love!

II. DIRECTION IN LIFE

Prov. 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

ILL.- Someone suggested that we imagine this dialogue between Abraham and God. “Abraham, this is God speaking. I want you to leave everything and go to the land I will show you.”

“Where’s that?” “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” “Try me.” “It’s 1500 miles from here in a place called Canaan.”

“Never heard of it.” “I know, and guess what else?” “What?”

“I’m going to make you the father of a great nation.” “That’s impossible. I don’t have any children.”

“Don’t worry.” “What do you mean, don’t worry?” “Just trust me.”

“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You want me to leave everything, travel across the desert to some place I’ve never heard of, and become the father of a great nation.” “Right.” “Is this some kind of joke?” “No.”

“What am I supposed to tell my wife?” “That’s your problem.”

Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Abraham received direction in life because he was willing to believe God, to trust God, to walk by faith. He didn’t know where he was going and what was going to happen but he believed that God would direct him and bless him. WE NEED THAT KIND OF FAITH AND TRUST AS WELL.

Many people have little or no direction in life. Or else they are headed in the wrong direction.

ILL.- Ole and Lena were so excited to get a new cell phone. Ole was to call when he was on his way home from town. Ole called Lena when he entered the freeway. "Lena put supper on, I’m on my way home." Lena said, "Be careful because I hear some nut is driving the wrong way on the freeway."

"It’s worse than that Lena, where I’m at there are a hundred cars going the wrong way!" We’ve all made some wrong turns in life and ended up going the wrong way and being in a mess.

ILL.- A deacon in a church wanted to speak tactfully to a young Bible college student who had come to preach at his church. The deacon smiled and said, “I’ll put my remarks in the form of a parable. I recollect Archie Tucker’s first deer hunt. He was kind of green. He followed the deer all night, but he followed it in the wrong direction.”