By Dr. Floyd Taber
(Floyd Taber, a medical doctor, served as a missionary in the Central African Republic from 1937 until 1974. This is excerpted from The Brethren Missionary Herald, February 23, 1946)
The life of complete trust and complete obedience is nothing new or strange, but simply the normal Christian life, the natural expression of the new nature that is in every child of God.
Then why have we not always lived this life? Because the teaching of the Word on the subject is too hard to understand? Because the secret is too hard to discover?
To me, Isa. 35:8 is one of the most wonderful promises in the entire Bible. When I set out to walk in God’s way of holiness, no matter how big a fool I am, I can’t get lost.
Then why have I not been walking in it all these years? Not for lack of knowledge, but for lack of cleansing. The unclean shall not pass over it.
How long do I need to stay unclean? f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). The instant I confess, that instant the blood is applied, I am no longer unclean, and I am again walking in the Way of Holiness.
As we walk on this Highway, we are constantly walking in the light. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not trust: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin (I John 1:6, 7).
All we have to do is trust God to give us instructions for every step of the way, and obey every command He gives. We don’t have to worry about not being able to understand instructions. That is His responsibility.
The one good thing a servant has a right to expect from a good master is clear instructions. The master does not have to explain why and how the thing is going to work. But he must give clear instructions.
As servants of God, we do far too much thinking and not enough obeying. A great curse of my life has been trying to understand everything. I would believe God was able to work out a problem if I could understand how. I would obey if I could understand why. I was limiting God to my two-by-four understanding. What a puny God I had!
God has an obstinate way of not giving us very much understanding of the hows and whys until we have first learned to trust and obey. He is more concerned with teaching us to walk by faith than with improving our sight.
God gives us all the light we need, but only on our path way, and only a step ahead. He never gives it to satisfy our curiosity, nor our pride in knowing more than our brethren, but only to show us how to take the next step.
We complicate life so much trying to know the end from the beginning, trying to take God’s place. How much simpler it is to take just a step at a time as He leads, leaving the rest with him.
If you’d like to know more about learning to trust and obey God, then contact the church where you obtained this paper. Someone there can help you in the next steps in your relationship with Him. Or, call us here at FGBC World for more information and help in finding a Bible-teaching church.
