Trust and Obey

        We've all heard that song, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
        We sing it, and many other songs so many times, we often forget the meaning or the power behind what the words mean. A simple hymn can be so boring, dry and monotonous, until we stop to read the words carefully and search out their meaning, and when we sing them from the heart with their meaning, there is no better songs on earth.
         Sorry, sideline thought. Anyways, trust and obey - it sounds simple.... right? I mean honestly, how hard can it be? We merely have to recognize and believe that God's in control, and obey him in our daily lives, right?
        Well, if we come at it with that sort of nonchalant "pie in the sky"mindset,  just "trust in God, and all will be well" said with a high british accent to make us sound religious, it can sound very easy indeed.
        Ever tried?
        I have come to realize in extreme ways recently how powerful this phrase is. If we really trust in God, I mean REALLY TRUST IN GOD, not just say you do, give us this day our daily bread, etc., but REALLY TRUST TO GOD EVERYTHING THAT IS IN YOUR LIFE AND RELEASE YOUR GRIP AND CONTROL ON YOUR LIFE AND WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT, your life changes.
        BIG TIME.
        First things first, what is trust, and how do we do the ole thing anyway? If you wanted to cross a chasm, 3000 feet deep, would you rather walk across on a shaky rope bridge, dry-rotted with sun, frayed with age, or a concrete and rebar golden-gate-bridge imitation firmly secured to both edges of the canyon? Which one would you feel comfortable setting all your weight on and crossing that chasm, knowing if the bridge breaks, you die with it?
        It's not a really hard choice, but that's a picture of trust, and ultimately, trusting in God. His promises in His word is the "concrete", or "rebar" that fixes the bridge securely to both sides of that gorge, and we can trust in them fully. They have withheld the weight of many a redeemed sinner in years previous, and little ole you ain't gonna be no different, and it don't matter none what you had for lunch. (Sorry, I revert to deep redneck occasionally)  :)
        That doesn't mean you only pray for "our daily bread" at meal times, with a fridge full of food that you think that you provided. That mean you do as God would have you do NO MATTER THE COST. I heard tell of a family who was nigh on out of money, and after paying all the bills, the only money they had left was tithe money. They were left with a horrible decision. To buy a weeks worth of groceries, or to give to God what he had commanded. They chose to trust in God, and that Sunday, they put the check in the offering plate as it went round. When they got home, there were bags of groceries waiting at the front door.
        THAT, is trust. THAT, is faith. THAT, is putting all you weight on the bridge, not knowing what will happen, but knowing that God said it will stand and that he will take care of you. That is TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD AND KNOWING THAT HE WILL PROVIDE.  
        This kind of faith blows the britches off modern Christians. They say it won't work in today's society. They say it's foolhardy and cruel to not buy your children food and put it in the hat as it goes round. I mean, after all man, think! (translated: Whoa dude, You cant just trust God like that, it's just.... just... unthinkable! Trust the rope bridge instead!!)
        I call it trust, and faith. They mean the same thing; Believing that what God said is real, IS real.
        I almost covered my second point. Obey. If we really trust, we will obey. If we believe that God said in his word that he he will not let the righteous famish, we are more than willing to put that check in the hat, cause we know "the Lord'l provide" (said with a deep Alabama accent of course) :)
        This means doing what is right, come what may. I heard a quote by General Jackson once.  "Duty is ours, consequences are God's".
        In Leviticus 26, God lists how he will bless us if we obey, and tells us of all the blessing he will bestow on us besides, but it goes on to list as well, what God will to do us and our children and grandchildren if we disobey, and put our faith and trust on that rope bride across the gorge. To put it plainly, he'll walk up with a machete and slice the ropes in two and watch you fall to your doom.
        However, today is the day of salvation. If we believe in our hearts (and actually do it, being not just hearers of the word) He is just and willing to forgive us from all unrighteousness, and cleanse us from our sins. The concrete bridge isn't within jumping distance with your own measly two legs, but Christ is standing on the bridge, and leaning his arm way out to you, just waiting for you to grab on.
        Just waiting for you to trust and obey.