Who Needs Blueprints?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. (Psalm 37:3)

This week, I want to share something near and dear to my heart with you.  I want to share some chapters from my book Life’s Compass for Eternal Treasure.  The second edition of this book was released on June 24th this year, but due to the craziness of life I have not been able to share it with you.  This new edition includes a great study guide that you can use as an individual or with a group.  To celebrate the new release of this book, I will be doing a BOGO sale.  If you can show me proof of purchase for one book, I will send you one for a friend.  There are a few ways you can purchase books.  The easiest way to get the BOGO sale is to purchase straight from my personal bookstore.  If you would rather purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other online bookstore that is fine too.  Please just send me an email with proof of purchase and your address and I will be happy to send you a book for a friend.

Let’s take a look at chapter 1 called, “Who Needs Blueprints?”

Webster’s dictionary says the first definition of trust is “Total confidence in the integrity, ability, and good character of another.” Wow! What a loaded definition, and this is only the beginning. Is God worthy of our total confidence? The answer is not complicated by any means. Yes, God is absolutely worthy of our total confidence…

…Can you think of any areas of life in which people put their total undeserving confidence? I certainly can! I think about bridges and the human hands that put them together. Man himself is full of flaws, yet he is used over and over again to create flawless structures. There is no room for error in the design of a bridge. One error could mean many lives lost. Yet, I have crossed over them many times in my life without thinking about their possible faults.

I’ve never stopped at the beginning of the bridge and said, “Can someone show me the blueprints for this bridge? I can’t drive across it until I see them.” That would be ridiculous. Sure, I could look at the blueprints, but they wouldn’t mean much to me. So then why is it that we often ask God for the blueprints of our life when He is a flawless Creator? His design is immaculate.

Another area that we put total trust in is vehicles used for transportation. Some examples are trucks, boats, trains, buses, and airplanes. You name it, and we put our confidence in it. Do we put our confidence in these things because of the great warranty offered with them? The last time I took a bus, no one provided me with a warranty that said I would make it to my destination in one piece.

I’ve never been to an assembly line to see how my vehicle was put together, yet I totally depend on it to get me from point A to point B. All too often God uses vehicles of circumstance to draw me closer to Him. I don’t get to see why it’s there or how it got there. I don’t even get to choose how it looks. In this circumstance I find myself needing to put my full confidence in God, letting Him direct my steps and making me into a greater person through perseverance. This is one of the vehicles God uses. Some other vehicles you might know of are faith, patience, long suffering, and joy. Do these sound familiar? If so, it’s because they are part of the fruit of the spirit. We attain the likeness of Christ by grabbing hold of the ways He wants to produce character in us, and many times this character is produced through long standing in His presence.

Dear Father God, please help me put my total trust in You alone.  I surrender my ideas, my agenda, and my ambitions to You.  May You use me to do great things!  

Trusting in Abba,