JANUARY 7, 2024

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
   What a glory He sheds on our way!
   While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
   And with all who will trust and obey...
2. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
   Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
   What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
   Never fear, only trust and obey.
3. ~ John H. Sammis

GENESIS 18-19

26But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.(19:26)

MATTHEW 6

 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

JOURNAL 

Again coming back to scripture is healing and comforting as these passages are so rich with wisdom and instruction. There are days when I struggle to pull out verses but here there is a deluge of scripture that many many sermons could be written on. To find a central theme...to me it again all boils down to the question "who is your God, and how do you serve him?"

For Lot's wife...her lifestyle, her home, her hopes and dreams were her God. She couldn't bear to leave them. In continuing his sermon, Jesus warns about popularity and pleasing others as well as the lure of wealth, and finally the worry over tomorrow. Here again the question can be asked...who or what is your God and how do you serve him? For throughout all of scripture God promises that he loves us and our efforts and devotion will not be in vain. So to worry over tomorrow is to really fail to trust God and to question the outcome of serving him. 

The lyrics of this old hymn that came to mind..."trust and obey, for their is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey". It really is all about those two words...trust and obey.

23Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

JOHN 14:23-24