One of the most well-known hymns in the Christian tradition
is "Trust and Obey", written by John H. Sammis in 1887. The chorus of
the hymn goes like this:
“Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in
Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
The message of the hymn is simple and clear: if you want to
experience joy and peace in your relationship with Jesus, you need to trust Him
and obey His commands. But what does it mean to trust and obey Jesus in our
contemporary context? How do you trust and obey when the word of Jesus is
contrary to your personal beliefs, preferences, or values?
This is not a new question, but it is a relevant one for
Christians today. We live in a pluralistic and diverse society, where we
encounter different opinions, perspectives, and worldviews daily. We are the
product of where we are born, our family, our education, our experience, and
our DNA. These make each of us uniquely different.
You and I are influenced by the culture around us, which
often promotes values that are at odds with the teachings of Jesus. For
example, our culture may value individualism, materialism, or relativism, while
Jesus calls for the rich to bear the infirmities of the poor, to love God and
our neighbor, to share, to seek His kingdom first, and to follow his truth. If
you carefully examine the teachings of Jesus some would say He is teaching socialism
which is opposite to capitalism and individualism which is the prevailing
culture presently.
How do you respond to this tension? How do you trust and
obey Jesus when His word challenges you to go against the grain of your culture
or your beliefs and desires?
In our culture, there are three strikes, and you are out,
you hear all the major preachers stating that we must let go of negative
people. Yet Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-45
“Ye have heard that
it hath been said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.’ But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that
despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your
Father who is in Heaven. For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
How do
you reconcile these teachings with your feelings?
Trusting and obeying the word of Jesus many times makes you
feel and look foolish to those around you, and to do it requires internal
fortitude and faith in Him.
We know we are saved when we believe the preaching or
teaching of the gospel that God created the heaven and the earth and made the
first man and woman named Adam and Eve, but they disobeyed Him and ate the
forbidden fruit, so man was now under the curse of sin. God robed Himself in a
body of flesh and we saw Him as the Lord Jesus who came to redeem us from the
curse of sin by dying on the cross. Those of us who believe His teaching and
are baptized must commit ourselves to following His teaching which will
transform our lives to be like Him.
I remember a preacher saying, “If you’ve tried everything
and everything failed try Jesus. He will never fail. Give your life to Jesus. Become
one of the sons of God and as the King’s son He will make everything okay for
you”.
This captivated my mind and I now believe that serving the Lord
will help me to have a better quality of life here on earth and inherit eternal
life. I do believe we all want to have a nice home, family, and enough money to
live comfortably. We want to feel worthwhile but many times when we have gained
all of those, we want other things. We still feel unfulfilled.
Please take a moment to remember the goals and dreams that
you had growing up and the goals that you currently have.
As we strive to achieve these things in the journey of life,
many challenges arise that have stalled or derailed our dreams or goals leading
us to despondency. These challenges may have been the loss of a job, sickness, an
accident, a broken relationship, going through a natural disaster or pandemic, financial
struggles, the death of a loved one, your children’s problems, quarrels among siblings,
and many other issues. Challenges could also have stemmed from your own
personal struggles such as temptations, adultery, fornication, and other trials
that you are faced with while trying to live a holy and pleasing life guided by
the teachings of Christ. This created turmoil in our minds causing many of us to
give up, because we felt like hypocrites, so we backslid to our old lifestyles.
This struggle is depicted in the parable of the Sower:
The parable of the Sower is a true reflection of the
struggles we all face, Matthew 13: 18-23.
18 Hear ye, therefore, the parable of the Sower.
19 When anyone heareth the
word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and
catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed
by the wayside.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the
same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he, not root in himself, but dureth for a while:
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he
is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that
heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into
the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also
beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold,
To trust and obey requires believing certain teachings and
principles as truth. First, we are taught the words of the scriptures, and then we must
apply them to our daily lives to prove that they are true and to reap the
benefits. Just like how we learn to read and write or learn math we must apply
what we learn in our daily lives.
Some
of the Benefits of Salvation
The Bible teaches that when we are saved, we
become the sons of God, and joint-heirs (1 John 3 vs 2 Beloved, now
are we the sons of God) and (Romans 8: 16-17 The Spirit Himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ,)
This means we are now by inheritance the owners
of the entire universe. (2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we shall
also reign with Him.)
It teaches that we shall have eternal life,
this means that we shall live forever.
(1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.)
We are His bride (Rev
19: 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.)
We are His Body (1 Corinthians
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.)
We shall Judge Angels and the world (1
Corinthians 6: 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if
the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?)
We shall walk on streets of Gold (Rev
21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gates was of one
pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.)
The
questions for you to answer are ... How is your heart? & What type of soil are you?
As the parable states, when we hear the word of God, believe,
understand it, and then begin to apply it in our lives, it begins to change how
we think and act. This results in us having a different lifestyle. It becomes
the motivation for us to trust and obey the words of Jesus Christ. For the
change to become permanent it requires consistency - daily prayer, daily
reading of the bible until it becomes a part of our everyday routine. What will
happen is that when a trial arises, the Holy Ghost will bring back His word to
our memories to guide our response to the trial.
Gradually we will recognize that is not of our own works,
but it is just the mercy of Jesus Christ that has been keeping us. As we apply
what we learn in our lives, we will begin to change, our characters begin to change, and we become more patient, more forgiving, and less judgmental. We begin to bear
the fruits of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.)
This means that as we change and develop the likeness of Christ,
we begin to impact those around us, and we become positive influences in our homes,
with our families, friends at work, and in our communities. Some of us will
impact hundreds of people, some sixty, some thirty, and others one. When we trust
and obey, over time it brings forth joy in the Lord and a truly purposeful
life.
Our main goals change from attaining things to attaining
eternal life. Our love grows from self-interest to love for God and all men. We
move from a local focus to a universal focus we begin to see all men as our
brothers because we recognize that we all have one Father the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember ...
- Jesus is Lord. He is not just a teacher, a
prophet, or a friend. He is the God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
He has the right to rule over our lives and to demand our allegiance. He is
also the Savior, who died for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life.
He loves us more than anyone else and wants what is best for us. Trusting and
obeying Him is not only our duty but also our privilege and joy.
- Study His word. The primary way that Jesus reveals His
will to us is through his word, the Bible. The Bible is not just a collection
of stories, rules, or advice. It is the inspired and authoritative word of God,
which shows us who God is, what He has done, and what He expects from us. The
Bible is also relevant and applicable to our lives today, as it addresses every
aspect of our existence: our beliefs, our values, our relationships, our
choices, our emotions, etc. To trust and obey Jesus, we need to study His word
regularly, carefully, and prayerfully.
- Seek His guidance. Sometimes we may face situations where
we are not sure what to do or how to act. In those cases, we need to seek His
guidance through prayer, through the counsel of other Christians, and through
the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is not just a way of asking God for
things, but also a way of listening to Him and aligning ourselves with His
will. The counsel of other Christians can help us gain insight, wisdom, and
accountability from those who share our faith and values. The Holy Spirit is
the one who convicts us of sin, teaches us the truth, and empowers us to obey.
- Obey His commands. Trusting Jesus is not enough; we also
need to obey Him. Obedience is not optional or conditional; it is essential and
expected. Jesus said: "If you love me, you will keep My commandments"
(John 14:15). Obedience is also not burdensome or oppressive; it is liberating
and rewarding. Jesus said: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavily laden,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in
Jesus than to trust and obey. This may sound simple, but it is not easy. It
requires faith, humility, and courage, but it also leads to joy, peace, and
fulfillment. Let us trust and obey Jesus today and every day.
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