November 22 – Anatomy of a Surrender: Trust (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be me sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
(2 Corinthians 6:18)

IN WORD:
We don’t get to our point of surrender unless we have come to a place of trust. It may be a scary trust to forsake all those false comforts we’ve depended on in exchange for the invisible blessing of God. But it will require at least some trust. No one can loosen his grip on his counterfeit securities without first understanding this vital truth: God has promised His fatherhood to us, and we can count on His loving care. Nothing He has asked us to do will harm us. Everything He asks us to do will bring blessing.
Do you really believe that? If you have died the death of surrender and trusted that God’s instructions are worthwhile, however painful, then you have begun to realize: Those things you clung to were worthless. They are like a plastic trinket that a child refuses to trade in for a diamond ring because he’s grown attached to it. The absurdity of our idols begins to dawn on us. What we held on to for so long wasn’t worth hanging on to. When we’re dealing with God, a trust exercised always becomes a trust vindicated. We will not second-guess our sacrifices. Why? Because He gives us ample reason, at least in the long run, to be glad we made them. He never end up owing us anything. The blessing that follows obedience is always well worth the cost that accompanies it.

IN DEED:
Is trust an issue in your struggle with sin and idolatry? Do you cling to habits, possessions, security, or affections from a fear that God will ask you to give them up and not make the sacrifice worth-while? That’s always the lie of idols. The enemy convinced our first parents that God didn’t have their best interests in mind, that He was withholding something valuable from them. Do not be deceived by such slander of our Father. Good fathers always want the best for their children, and our Father is always good. You can count on that. His blessings for obedience are incredible. He is far more trustworthy that our idols.

“Obedience is the child of trust.” -John Climacus-