One of the greatest struggles that keeps Christians from experiencing abundant life is the temptation to try harder. If you are struggling with something you are often told that you simply have to give it a little bit more effort. Often times I will hear somone say, “I tried to do everything I could” but what they are really saying is “I haven’t been trusting what God has instructed.”
Too often “trying” involves us using our logic and rational thought at the expense of “trusting” what God has already said.
- We try to figure out our finances rather than trust God’s instructions.
- We try to get nicer things to improve our self-worth rather than trusting what God says about us to be true.
- We try to be our kids friends instead of trusting God’s Word that tells us to be their parent.
- We try to sin less instead of trusting God more.
Romans 9:31-32 says, “But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the laws instead of by trusting in him.”
What areas in life are you tempted to “try harder” rather than “trust” what God has already instructed?
Great post! Spence and I both struggle with this in finances. It always seems that we could be working harder, making more money, paying off debt faster, the list goes on… but the fact is, we’re taking control of our finances by trying instead of trusting God work in our finances. Just last week we made the decision to stop trying and start trusting. As a control-freak, it’s sometimes hard, but I’m working on that.
[...] Making a Jewelry Stand Out of BranchesJune 12, 2010Trying vs. TrustingBy Lisa AshbyMy pastor wrote a blog post recently about trying vs. trusting that really hit home with me. He writes:One of the greatest struggles [...]
You basically summed up my life…