Living on Purpose: With God as Your CenterSample

Day 5 | God Values Trust and Obedience

God loves to show up when we step out in faith. Our trust pleases him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Do you really believe this deep in your heart?

Trust and obedience go hand in hand. Obedience proves that we have a big view of God, that we believe he is who he says he is. It’s putting our money where our mouth is. Obedience also proves that we love God. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments” (John 14:15).

Is obedience risky sometimes? You bet. Will we always get the fairytale ending, the bonus, the promotion? Of course not.

Will we sometimes suffer because of obedience? Absolutely. Joseph spent years in prison in Egypt because he wouldn’t sleep with Potiphar’s wife. In Hebrews 11, the author ends the “Faith Hall of Fame” with a long list of anonymous failures who faced loss, torture, and death for following God. The chapter concludes:

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

God isn’t some kind of genie that we can manipulate into granting us three wishes. Faith that is dependent on getting what we want isn’t faith. Sometimes the happy ending doesn’t come in this life. We may not get the answer that we expect.

But, at the same time, God has made promises that we can rely on: To provide for all our needs (Philippians 4:19), To give us wisdom (James 1:5), To never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). Lean into those promises! Step out in faith. Give God space to move, waiting expectantly for him to show up.

For Reflection

Read Daniel 1.

How did Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego take a risk to obey God? How did God come through for them?

What if their experiment had not succeeded?

Read Daniel 3:17-18 and reflect on the attitude Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego expressed.

Read Hebrews 11 and then re-read Hebrews 11:6. How does your faith stack up against the faith described there?

When was the last time you took a risk with your obedience? How did it turn out?

How would demonstrating this kind of faith today change how you live?