no matter what

1 John 2:3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.

4 If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

5 But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love him.
      That is how we know we are living in him.

6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.


It's all about obedience.

Somewhere I read once (or was it something someone said?) that Jesus did not pick the disciples because they were wealthy, well-placed socially, strong, wise, or particularly spiritual.

He picked them because He knew (being God) that, in the final analysis, they would obey Him.

Sometimes obeying is hard.

Sometimes obeying makes no sense at all.

Sometimes obeying doesn't seem to be all the productive or mean all that much.

Sometimes obeying doesn't look all that successful, as we look at things finite lens of our comprehension.

But that is what God wants from us - a level of trust that says I will trust You, no matter what.

"no matter what" - those words are in 2 of the 5 scripture passages that I've held on to with a death grip this year.

I now have a deeper appreciation of the concept and level of trust that it takes to say, "no matter what".

Yesterday, Dec 23, was the day last year that God gave me 1 Thessalonians 5:18 as the 1st of 5 passages to hang on to in 2010. It was when the "restlessness" started in my heart that I knew mean change was coming.

Little did I know...