Submission, Trust and Faith

I was going through some paper work this morning looking for a receipt and came across some notes I scratched out on an offering envelope.  I can’t remember where I took the notes and there is no name on the offering envelope.  I have had these three points on my mind all day long and just wanted to share them with you.  I really wish I could remember where I heard these points so I could credit where credit is due.  They really do make you stop and think.  The three points are in bold print and my simple reasonings to them follow. Hope you enjoy.

Submission isn’t submission until you don’t agree with the person you’re submitting to.

I was immediately reminded of a couple of passages of scripture that could pose a problem with this philosophical statement above for some.

Hebrews 13.17 – speaks of submitting to leaders over you who watch over your souls.

James 4.7 – speaks about submitting “therefore” to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.  The             “therefore” here is in reference to verse six which speaks of being a person of humility because Godopposes the proud.

Ephesians 5.22 and Colossians 3.18 in the King James translation use the word “submit” where the New           American Standard Version uses the world “subject”.

The word “submit” here means to simply “obey” or be a “subordinate to.”  Under the above philosophical statement we would submit ourselves to our spouses, ecclesiastical leadership (who is accountable) and to God Himself in times we would be in disagreement.  I am going to concur with the statement because there have been times in my life where I have disagreed with my wife but have surrendered to her thoughts or choices.  I have surrendered to ecclesiastical authority when I didn’t necessarily agree with them.   There have been countless times I have surrendered to the will of God when I didn’t agree with Him.  So I am going to say that the true test of submission is to become subordinate to the mission.  Under the mission.  To fall under the direction of one leading the mission.  That’s my simple break down of “sub-mission.”

Trust isn’t trust until it’s tried.

Wow!  This is a big one too!  How can you really trust someone until you have, you know, maybe held their hand while you walked on thin ice?  I have heard all my life that trust is something your earn.  I guess if I am going to get out of the boat and walk on water toward your voice that has bid me come – then there has to be some level of trust in my heart to do so.  No trust, no getting up, standing up and stepping out of the boat.  No forward motion faith.

I heard a story about a famous tight rope walker who stretched a rope between two tall buildings in New York. He gathered a crowd on the ground and asked a man this question: “Do you believe I can walk across that tight rope?”  “Yes!” came the reply.  The walker made his way to the tight rope and walked across with relative ease. The crowd applauded as he made his way back to the man on the ground.  “Do you believe I can walk across that rope a second time?   “Yes!” was the response from his new-found fan.  “Do you think I can walk across that tight rope pushing this wheelbarrow?”  “Yes!” came the response again.   “Would you let me walk across the tight rope and push you in the wheelbarrow?”  “Absolutely not!” was the immediate reply of the man.

I would take on the sentiment of the guy on the ground.  Dude, you can walk across the rope all you want and push a Mack Truck across it you want – but I’m going nowhere near the rope!

The idea here is that there is a difference in belief and trust.  God wants us to trust Him – not just believe in Him.  Scripture declares that demons believe and shudder (James 2.19).   God is looking for us to get into the “wheelbarrow”.  Question is – do we trust Him with our life to the degree we will let him push us across the tightrope of life?  Just a thought!

Faith isn’t faith until you question what you can’t see.  

This one is a no brainer!  Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  If I can see it, hold it in my hand then I don’t need faith for it.  The statement above indicates more than the simple initial idea you get when you read it.  Read it real slow.  The operative is the word “question”.  This takes faith for what it is to another level.  The philosophical statement above take beyond believing what you can’t see.  It moves into the arena of relevant doubt.  Questioning what you can’t see.  Questioning the existence of God. Questioning the attainment of healing.  Questioning the provision of funds for unpaid bills.  Yep!  The operative word here is “question” and it creates a huge challenge to faith.  To have faith and question something is huge. Is it possible to have faith for something and struggle with the provision of a specific thing sought out by faith?  I think so, I really do.

In Mark 9.24 a man who comes to Jesus for help with his demon possessed child asks Jesus to help his “unbelief.”   I am a simple-minded guy most of the time and I approach unbelief as one would an untied shoe. You can’t “un”do something until its been done.  Belief can’t come undone until it’s been placed in something first.  There has to be a positive operative of belief before it can become unbelief.  The shoe has to be tied before it can become untied.

The man was simply asking for that part of his faith that he was struggling with to be quickened by the Lord. How many times have I labored in prayer only to ask the Lord the same thing.  “Help my unbelief.”  There is a part of my faith that is coming undone.  I am struggling.  Faith isn’t faith until you sometimes question what you can’t see.  Better yet, faith isn’t faith until you are sometimes willing to ask for help with your faith that is coming undone.