Do I & Do You—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
From the gospel of Luke, who was both a doctor & chosen apostle, the words of our Savior & LORD Jesus Christ.
“But He said, [in response to their wondering how HE—JESUS could be the same person, the one who was Joseph of Nazareth’s son]
“Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.
But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land;
and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
(Luke 4: 24-27 NASB 2020 ed)
Do you belong to God? The truth: God knows you and cares for you.
How does a person belong to God? The truth: A person must come to God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
We Must Have Faith & We Must Remember God Cares for Us!
We Must Have Faith & We Must Remember how God Knows Us So Intimately, Even Down to the Hairs Upon Our Head.
The widow Zarephath trusted God to supply her needs & gave all that she had from her almost-empty flour barrel, and for a long length of time, God fed Elijah, the widow’s grandchild, and her—all because she had faith in God & obeyed God.
The commander of the army Naaman was a great warrior, a man who demanded authority among his men & yet, he listened to the words of a servant girl when she told Naaman to dip himself seven times in the river Jordan and receive God’s healing & restoration from his leprosy.
Trust & Be Fed.
Wash & Be Cleansed.
Do I—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
Do You—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
Pride. Riches. Prestige. Position. What are we hanging onto that keeps us from faithfully obeying God?
Must we reach our final desperation before we finally throw up our hands and say, “Okay, LORD, have Your Way. I will obey You.”
We have a choice; we don’t need to wait; we can receive God’s cleansing & restoration & healing—NOW!
If you know me, then maybe you also know that I enjoy getting a haircut every three weeks. Teasingly, I tell my hairdresser that I like to help keep her in business, and that’s true, but I also enjoy the way a haircut makes me feel lighter, less encumbered, and looking just the same. As she clips away at my bushy head each time my hair appointment comes along, I am amazed by the amount of hair resting on the floor once she is finished. Then she begins to sweep, collecting all the hair into a pile, before scooping it all up into her dustpan and throwing the hair clippings away into the trash.
Hair Clippings.
Our Hair.
Have you ever received a haircut and wondered how many hairs rest upon the floor once the hairdresser or barber is finished with the task? I have & I consistently do each month when she is done. Sometimes I say, “Thank You God for giving me so much hair.” Sometimes I pray, “God, help my hair always to remain thick-headed.” Whatever we pray, the truth remains that God knows the hairs upon our heads, BOTH those that remain attached & those that now rest upon the salon floor.
God Knows Because He Cares for Us That Much!—That He Counts Our Hairs He Gives Us Upon Our Head.
Yes, that is correct. We know because the Bible says it is so.
Read with me—TRUTH.
B. B. Warfield wrote these words: “A firm faith in the universal providence of God is the solution of all earthly troubles.”
God knows.
God tracks our life situations.
God knows.
God intimately cares for us that much!
God knows.
Both pre & post haircuts—GOD KNOWS!
If we belong to God, if we are His child, then He calls us, “His Beloved,” and He Knows Us—so
- Why would we ever try to hide from Him? &
- Why would we ever try to run from His leading? &
- Why would we ever think He doesn’t care about what we are going through?
The better question we really need to ask: Do I—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
Do You—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
Everything we have is a gift from God.
- Our salvation is a gift.
- Our job is a gift.
- Our relationships with others are a gift.
- Our family is a gift.
- Our talents and skills are gifts.
- Our church family is a gift.
- Our health is a gift.
- Our abilities are a gift.
- Our personality and nature (character) are gifts.
- Our image, our structure, and the hairs upon our heads are gifts.
- Our Everything is a Gift from Almighty God!
Naaman was not healed of his leprosy until he stopped beside the Jordan River, stepped down from his chariot, walked into the Jordan River, and dipped himself seven times.
The widow Zarephath and her grandson were not fed until she walked over to the barrel each morning, dipped way down toward the bottom of the barrel, brought out a scoop of meal, prepared a cake and fed God’s prophet Elijah first. Then and only then, after she obeyed, was she fed and sustained for another day.
- There is only one true God who is worthy of our worship.
- There is only one true God who chooses us to become His.
- There is only one true God who gives us the peace of Christ.
- There is only one true God who fills us with a song of thankfulness.
- There is only one true God who forgives us of all our sins.
- There is only one true God who calls us to receive His Salvation.
- There is only one true God.
Matt Maher & Lizzie Morgan sing this beautiful lyric.
“God I’m Yours & You are mine. . .
Let my restless soul be still and know
I am leaning on Your everlasting arms.”
The more I’m leaning
The more I’m flying
It feels more like dying and more like living—
God I’m Yours & You are mine.”
“Leaning”
The Question we really need to ask: Do I—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
Do You—Really Trust God—at HIS Word?
Do you belong to God?
- We Must Have Faith & We Must Remember God Cares for Us!
- We Must Have Faith & We Must Remember God Knows Us So Intimately!
- We Must Trust & Be Fed.
- We Must Be Washed & Be Cleansed.
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.
In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
(Colossians 3: 12-17 NASB 2020 ed)