RELATIONAL TRUST

Read Ephesians Chapter 3
Key Verse -- Ephesians 3:17
"Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong."
Trust is defined as "to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something". We know that Christ desires to have domain within our hearts. But it is up to us just how comfortable he is allowed to be there. By failing to trust God with our lives, we are, in essence, jerking the rug out from under him time and time again.
Let's look at it another way. If you worked for a company and your boss came to you and said "you have shown tremendous potential and have continued to be successful. I am putting you in charge of our new project. It is the most important thing in our company today. I am giving you this responsibility because I trust you to work hard and to make it a great success." You would feel pretty special, right? To think that your superiors would trust you that much would probably give you the confidence you needed to make the big decisions that would shape the project. But how would you feel if the next day your boss came back to you and said, "I trust you, but I am going to handle this part of the project."? Maybe day by day that supervisor would take one responsibility after another away from you to the point that you didn't really have any influence at all in the project. You wouldn't feel very trusted would you?
I wonder how often I have done the very same thing to Christ. I say, "Oh, Lord I trust you. Take over my life. Mold me; shape me in the way you would have me to be. Have your way in my life." Then when things get a little tricky or seem a little shaky I say, "Well...I trust you Lord, but I am just going to take control in this one area." It's like I give him control, and then take it away. Give it. Take it. Over and over again. What a roller coaster ride!
The strongest relationships in the world are built on trust. Marriages, friendships, even business partnerships that are successful are so, because the parties involved trust one another. Does that mean that moments never came along that tested the mettle of that trust? Of course not; what it means is that even when those tough times came they stuck it out, because they trust each other. Relational trust can only occur through real relationships. Trust is not a theory.
I must trust God - not just in theory - but in practice. I must place my life in His hands and leave it there to fully trust. That means that I must take my life from my own hands. Paul said that if we do this then our roots will grow down into God's love and keep us strong. Be patient. Trust God. Roots cannot grow if we are always pulling up the vine.
Prayer - Lord, I love you enough to believe you love me, therefore I trust you. Control me, mold me, and use me as you know best. Give me the steadfastness to wait upon you.

ILLUMINATED HEARTS

Read Ephesians Chapter 1
Key Verse -- Ephesians 1:18
"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he has called."
There are many distinctions made in God's word. Clear lines are drawn concerning many issues in the Christian life. I am reminded of Christ's words in Matthew 6 - "No man can serve two masters". This is a clear distinction. Also, Paul wrote in Galatians 5 that we should walk after the spirit so as not to satisfy the lust of the flesh. This instruction implies that you cannot successfully walk after the spirt and flesh simultaneously.
Perhaps, no greater distinction is made in scripture than that between darkness and light. It is true spiritually and scientifically; there cannot be light and dark at the same time. Sure, you may be able to say "it's kind of dark" or "it's dusk" but truthfully, even the smallest amount of light pierces darkness. Light enables us to see. Even the smallest beam of light will illuminate whatever it shines upon. There is a battle within our spirit man between darkness and light. Perhaps that is why the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 1 that our hearts should be flooded with light. It is that light that enables us to see the purpose and plan that God has for our lives.
Hearts that are influenced by darkness have little choice but to believe whatever voices are speaking to them the loudest. In darkness, we can't see for ourselves. In spiritual darkness, it is normally life's circumstances that are screaming the loudest. Financial, emotional, marital problems, to name a few, all can seem pretty loud, especially when we are allowing spiritual darkness to pour over our hearts. It is the light of God's love that illuminates our hearts, reveals God's truth, and stirs our faith.
The key here is that we control where the light shines. I heard a story one time about a woman that was going through a rough patch in life. Her marriage was in trouble, her family was falling apart, and she just didn't know how much longer she could take the stress. She woke up and poured her morning coffee. As she sat on the sofa, the morning light was beaming through the front windows into her living room. She was so down and depressed that she got up and closed to curtains tight. She just didn't want to see the light. As she sat back down, Proverbs 20 came to her mind, "The way of the wicked is like deep darkness". She jumped to her feet and flung over the curtains. She had to let the light shine through.
Isn't it true that in our lives, we control the curtains. When times get rough and things aren't going our way, don't close the curtains but open your heart to God's light. He will show himself in ways you cannot imagine. He will reveal the wonderful future he has promised you.
PRAYER -- Lord, shine your light in my heart, even in those moments that things seem the darkest. Give me the confidence to accept your light in my life