Today’s 333 Devotional: “In God We Trust”

Each American coin has this inscription, “In God We Trust.”

But do we really trust God?

I’m not talking about our nation trusting God, mind you, because the truth has been evident for a long time that we don’t. But what about us, what about the church?

After the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and what may be considered the start of the church, Peter and John were on their way to the temple through the gate called Beautiful. There they encountered a crippled man begging for alms.

Looking upon the man Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)

He then took the beggar by the hand and lifted him up, and the beggar immediately gained strength and began walking, and leaping, and praising God.

This beggar is the story of the church and its ministry in today’s world. We’ve become dependent upon the alms of the world in order to accomplish God’s work. We’ve become dependent upon the world and others instead of upon God.

This is the lesson Jesus wanted the church and believers today to learn in his letter to the church at Laodicea. He calls them the lukewarm church because they stopped trusting in God.

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’–and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked–I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich.” (Revelation 3:17-18a)

Maybe instead of praying for God to heal our nation, maybe we need to start by asking God to heal us of our dependency upon the world for subsistence.

Consider the outcome of the church of Laodicea is they didn’t turn it around and repent.

“I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)