Who doesn’t love Jesus, right?  He’s kind, he’s powerful, he stands up to injustice, and would do anything for you.  But do you trust him?

I recently listened to another preacher who pointed out that it’s easy to say we love Jesus.  But there’s a difference between that and trust.  If you trust your doctor you’ll follow his advice.  If you trust your mechanic you’ll maintain your car according their instructions.  Do we actually trust Jesus?

• Do we trust him when he gives instructions on how to forgive?
• Do we trust him when he gives guidelines on how to serve?
• Do we trust him when he flat out tells us to love our enemies?
• Do we trust him when he says that real life can’t be found without taking up our cross daily (i.e. dying to the self-directed life)
• Do we trust him when he upholds a counter-cultural, sexual ethic?
• Do we trust him when he calls us to live with radical generosity?
• Do we trust him when he challenges our beliefs about people who are different than us?
• Do we trust him when he says things like “turn the other cheek” and “go the extra mile”?
• Do we trust him when he demands that we surrender our entire life to him?

Do we trust that his teaching is really, truly the best way to live?  Or do we trust our own intuition, or our own appetites, or our own traditions, or our own tribe.  To trust him means to trust that he is speaking the truth, and that he desires what is best for us.  Do we really trust him, or do we just content ourselves with “loving him”?  Because if that’s the case, we may not be loving the real Jesus.  The real Jesus is after all the one who said,

If you love me, keep my commands.

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.

Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.

Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.

It appears that Jesus equated loving him with trusting him.  Do you trust him?  Or do you merely “love” the parts of him that fit your lifestyle.  In which case, it might be time to ask, “who’s really the god in my life?”

-Pastor Mark