August 10, 2020
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Our grandson was really concerned about me. Grandma was at his house, taking care of him while Mom and Dad were gone, and I wasn't able to be there. Grandma was lying in bed with our little guy, trying to help him get to sleep. But he had some questions first. "Are you going to stay at our house all night?" Well, Grandma assured him she was. "But who's at home with Granddad?" Grandma assured him I was there alone, but that I could handle it. "But isn't Granddad going to be lonely?" Again, Grandma told our grandson that I would be okay. And finally he thought of some childlike theology that allowed him to go to sleep that night. He said, "I know. Jesus will take care of him." And I can assure you He did!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Taking Care of the Consequences."
I think a lot of us could get to sleep a little more easily if we could rest our worries right where our grandson rested his, "Jesus will take care of it." That might be a childlike theology, but it's the secret to some grownup peace of mind.
I love the simplicity and the depth of a Bible verse that has only eight words in it, but those eight words say volumes. It's one of my anchor verses. It's Psalm 4:5, our word for today from the Word of God. It simply says, "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." In other words, do what you believe God wants you to do, whatever it may cost and then trust Him for whatever consequences may come from your obeying Him.
So many people hesitate to do what God is telling them to do because they're worried about all the "mights," and the "coulds" and the "what ifs" that may happen as a result. It's like we answer God's leading with our list of what I call "yeah buts." "Yeah, but this might happen; yeah, but what if I don't get a good response; yeah, but what if the money doesn't come through; yeah, but what if there's a bad fallout from me doing what You want?" Do you know how many people have missed God's plan for their life because of the "yeah buts," their fears about the backlash, the risks, the bad reaction?
In fact, it could be you're holding back on doing something God wants you to do right now because of your fear of the consequences. Well, here is the liberating truth of the Word of God: the consequences of obeying God are God's responsibility! You offer right sacrifices, then you trust God for whatever happens after that. God's ancient people stood on the threshold of a glorious Promised Land that God was ready to give them, but they refused to go there because they feared all the bad things that might happen. So for 40 long years, they got wilderness instead of Promised Land!
Peter got it right when he was wondering if he should step out of that storm-tossed boat and walk on the water with Jesus. He simply said, "Lord, if it's You, I will." That's really the only thing you need to worry about, "Lord, if it's You..." If it's Jesus asking you to do this, go for it. The consequences, the unanswered questions, the resources that you have no idea where you're going to find, that's all up to Him. It's your job to obey.
That's why the old hymn bottom-lines it this way, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." My grandson knew the answer: when you're worried about things, "Jesus will take care of it."