Do you trust Jesus? It seems like a simple question with an obvious answer. Most people (living in the U.S.) on an ordinary day would likely respond that they do. But do our actions follow the words?

Peter writes, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV)

He suggests that all we need for life is found in our knowledge of God and Jesus. By knowing Christ, that is, by knowing His qualities, His will, and His direction, we can find all we need for life. But for us to reap the reward of this knowledge, we must trust Him by acting on that knowledge. But how hard is this?

When God tells us not have a "love of money," for instance; do we trust him? Notice, scripture never states the possession of wealth or the ability to create wealth is inherently wrong. But the "love of money" is something to avoid (1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5). Our love of money can prompt all sort of behaviors. Some of those behaviors can have positive results, such as hard, diligent work. But it can also have many negative results, such as working too hard or too long leading to poor parenting, fragmented relationships, and physical stress.

If we trust Jesus, we do more than look toward a distant future with abstract hope. Instead we take Him at His word and strive all we can to implement it in our lives. Christianity works when we live life like Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). It works when trusting Jesus is more than a catchy phrase; it works when we take the principle of God's word and let it shape our lives.

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