October 3 / Proverbs 3 / Matthew 3

axe-to-root

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

This is one of our favorite pericopes [awesome word]. In fact we have a little stone triangular piece with this passage on it in our living room, so it may be seen daily.

It says so much in a short space. May we never stray from this simple truth. We stress (just another word for fear) because we forsake this jugular practice. And there is no fear in perfect love, for love casts out fear. I read somewhere that “stress” was just a word some doctors came up with in order to get men to actually go into counseling-because we men don’t like to admit fear, but we’ll admit to being stressed. HAHA! I like that. And it does not sound too far fetched if you ask me.

Trust.

There’s belief and then there’s trust. We see them differently. It seems we can believe in God and yet not trust Him with our life. We definitely have a hard time with, as Dallas Willard states it, “abandoning all outcomes to Him.”

The way we see belief and trust differently is this.  Belief says, “I will jump off this cliff that God has asked me to jump from and believe He will catch me.” But Trust says, “I will jump off this cliff God has asked me to jump from and trust His perfect will and wisdom at work even if He doesn’t catch me, because in His infinite goodness, I know he wants and has what is absolute best for me. Perhaps He wants me to fall or get caught on a branch or most likely, something I’ve not even thought of because…He is God and His mind is infinitely superior to mine! And I trust Him!”

Does that make sense? It may not be literally accurate with regard to those terms, but that has helped me greatly in my growth this past year. Just surrendering to Him with no agenda or trying to guide what something should look like. Just trust Him. Hopefully this does not come across as advocating to sit around and wait for God to do stuff. We still work really hard at pursuing Him in our relationship with Him, and in that, He guides us. And man, that is so much better than stressing, putting so much on self. We have to constantly ask ourself, “Is it the Holy Spirit at work, or just me?”

So I made an incredible find yesterday at Half Price Books: The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers. He’s known for the very popular My Utmost For His Highest, but have you ever read any of his other stuff like Conformed to His Image or The Servant as His Lord or Approved Unto God? Beast! Total beast of a writer. Because he was sold out to Jesus Christ. The stuff is incredible. I think of him when I read Proverbs 3:5-6. Everything, all spiritual empowerment, comes from the Lord. As long as we are choosing what to do on our own, not seeking Him, we will not be fulfilled or living at the level He would have us live. You may think you are, but you just don’t any different or better way, believe me. When seeking Him and His will and glory, and listening to His guidance, it’s another level of consciousness and life as He shows you where to go and what to say. It’s pure awesomeness like nothing else.

Matthew 3:10

The axe is taking aim at the root of the tree.

This is what Jesus always goes for-> the root of the tree.

He doesn’t spray the fruit or shoot steroids in it.

He goes for the root because that’s the only way to bear truly good fruit. Unless you are working on the root of your sins, nothing will truly transform.

Submit to His cosmic uprooting, and you will live a life of abundant freedom.

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