Principles Of Trusting God – #02 LOVING GOD

Generally, we trust someone whom we love with all our heart, mind, and soul. We accept most of the things they say, and we do most of the things they say we should do, or we do what they do because we love them.

This is the reason why the bible urges us to love God. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”. We are urged also to love our neighbours. Mark 12:31 says, “…You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. There is nobody who has ever distrusted oneself. We trust ourselves because we love ourselves.

If we develop love for God, it will be much easier to trust Him. Trust demands obedience. You obey someone whom you trust, and you trust them because you love them, and you know that they too love you and can not do anything bad to you because they love you.

Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem, escaped to Egypt for a while as an infant and came back to Israel and lived in Nazareth in Galilee. Until He was 30 years, he lived in Galilee, and he was known as a carpenter since young men were trained skills of their parents. Joseph was the legal parent of Jesus, and he was a carpenter. Most people in the region might have lived knowing Jesus as a carpenter. He might have been a good carpenter too as he was a man of extraordinary expertise. Jesus grew up learning much of the scriptures since the age of 12 years when he was reported to have gone to Jerusalem for a Passover feast and he remained after the feast enquiring of the teachers of the law. By the age 30, he could have attained himself to the respect of being a Master in the Jewish religion. A Master was an authority in the Jewish faith. Chances are that Jesus could have been well known to young men of Galilee and he could have earned their trust and respect.

When he started ministry and he was preaching and teaching to multitudes, Jesus came to the sea where Simon had been fishing throughout the night. He asked to use Simon’s boat and Simon did not hesitate to give him the boat possibly because he knew him. After the sermon, Jesus asked Simon to take the same boat and go again into the sea for a catch which he had failed to get throughout the night. The remark that Simon gave to Jesus was remarkable. It demonstrated his trust in Jesus and that trust paid him off.

Luke 5:1-9 “On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him (Jesus) to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken…”

It is interesting that Simon respected Jesus and he called him, Master. Normally we tend to respect someone we love most, and we allow someone we love and trust to gain access to our properties or possessions. Simon loved Jesus and trusted him. You attribute a title “Master” to someone whom you respect and love and whom you are ready to listen to and obey. As a result, it was easy for him to quickly obey his instructions and he had a big catch that day.

Later, in ministry, we see Peter asking Jesus to command him to come from the boat during a storm. Jesus said, “Come”. And Simon walked on top of the water because he trusted in Jesus for, he loved him, and he knew Jesus loved him too. We always expect the best from those whom we know we love and whom we know that they love us too.

Matthew 14:28-30 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

When Peter (Simon) was about to sink, he cried out to Jesus “Lord, save me” because he trusted Jesus that he was able to save him, and Jesus indeed saved him. It pays to trust Jesus and it’s a principle of responding to him. It is a divine principle that if we love God with all our hearts, mind, and soul; He will love us too and He will do extraordinary things for us because we would be trusting Him.

Psalms 37:4-5 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

Generally, we delight ourselves on those things we like or love most. If we love the Lord, we shall delight in Him, and He shall give us the desires of our hearts. It pays to trust in the Lord. Amen.