Tag Archives: Trust

ON TRUST AND BEING TRUSTWORTHY

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Yesterday and today I had a two day incident that was both somewhat embarrassing and also fulfilling. 

On my way home from golfing yesterday I went thru a drive-thru restaurant only to realize I didn’t have enough money to pay for my order. I had a gift card that I thought still had $4.62 on it, but my server informed me she could not get the card to work.

My order was already in the car and I had to tell her I had given her all the change I had. I was too embarrassed to tell her I had no money left because I had lost a few dollars to the other three guys with whom I had played golf.

I told her I was playing golf again tomorrow and would come through the drive-thru on my way home and pay off the $4.00 I owed. She told me she would be working and that would be fine. I promised her I would keep my word and that she could trust me.

As promised, after golf today I went to the drive-thru and when I was asked what I wanted I replied I was there to pay yesterday’s debt. I stayed in the line and when I got close to the window she came out and affirmed she remembered me and that I owed her $4. I gave her a $5 dollar bill and she went back inside.

When I pulled up to the window she gave me my $1 dollar bill change and I asked her if she was surprised that I had returned. Without thinking about it she assured me that she had not doubted from the beginning that I would return today.

Both yesterday and today I’ve been thinking about trust and being trustworthy. Even though she had no choice yesterday, I was honored that she trusted me. And I was pleased to have the opportunity to keep my word and show myself to be trustworthy.

One dictionary definition of trustworthy is “able to be relied on as honest or truthful.” Some selected antonyms of trustworthy are undependable, unreliable, false, and unfaithful. This two day incident is nothing that I am ashamed of or anything I am boastful or proud of. Had I not had the gift card I wouldn’t have gone into the drive-thru, but once I had the food and the card didn’t work I knew the right thing to do was to return with the $4.

It’s not always easy to trust someone, especially when they have not been trustworthy in the past. On the other hand, when someone has shown themselves to be trustworthy it is easy to trust them.

All of us will have to decide in specific situations if we are going to trust someone or not, but hopefully all of us will be committed to showing ourselves as someone who is trustworthy and can be trusted. In Luke 16:10 Jesus made an important observation about this subject: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

What is most important for Christians is our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father and Lord and Savior Jesus.

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Image by Lisa Caroselli from Pixabay

IF IT’S SIN, I’M GUILTY

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Noting the title of this post, you are probably wondering what the “it” is to which I am referring: it is worry. Many readers will be able to identify with me as I confess I am a worrier.

Yesterday our four year old grandson had dental surgery. We had known for several weeks that it was scheduled for today, but as the date grew closer I realized I was worrying more and more.

For the past few days I’ve been thinking about my habit of worrying. My recollection is that I have been a worrier pretty much all my life. My worries have never been debilitating, but they have had an impact on me. Many times worry has added stress to my life and eroded my joy.

In retrospect I remember my mom was a worrier. I don’t know if worry is hereditary or can be learned from a parent, but I have always been grateful for her interest and concern. I just wish she had not worried so much. However, as a worrier myself I understand.

But I’m asking myself, “Is worrying a sin?” The New Testament suggests in at least two places that it is.

One is from the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:34 Jesus concludes a section of his teaching, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Respected author John R.W. Stott, and one of my favorite writers, concludes from Jesus’ teaching that “worry is incompatible with Christian faith.”

The second passage is from the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (New Living Translation). Commentator Ralph P. Martin notes, “[worry] betrays a lack of confidence in God’s protection and care for his people.”

It seems obvious from Jesus, Paul, John Stott, and Ralph Martin that worry is indeed a sin.

Possibly as an excuse for my own worry, I’m not sure all worry is sin. My worry is not due to a lack of faith and trust in God. In connection with my worry I practice what Paul instructs in Philippians 4:6 – I pray taking the things I worry about to the Lord.

I find some comfort and encouragement from what a couple of other writers say about Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Commenting on Jesus’ statement, “Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34), D.A. Carson notes, “It is as if Jesus recognizes that there will be some unavoidable worry today after all.” Archibald Hunter concludes, “. . . the principle is surely this, that, taking reasonable care, we are to face life with [trust], accepting each day fresh from God, and leaving the unknown future in his hands.”

My sense is that most of us need this teaching from both Jesus and Paul. I know I do. As a matter of fact, I’m a little worried about what some may think about me in light of my admission that I worry.

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PRAYER, FAITH, UNANSWERED PRAYER, AND TRUST

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All of us who are Christians would agree that prayer is an important aspect of the Christian life. While driving to a meeting yesterday I realized my prayer life had waned. Right then I acknowledged it to the Lord (without bowing my head and closing my eyes!) and resolved to get back on track.

This morning I read in C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters Screwtape’s observation that if his subject [a Christian he was tempting] was attending to God Himself, both he and Wormwood would be defeated. Screwtape’s advice to Wormwood was that the simplest way to prevent such a thing was “to turn their gaze away from Him [God] towards themselves.” I wondered if that is what I had done. Later I was reminded of one of the great testimonies in the Old Testament about this matter.

Most readers will remember the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. These three young Jewish men refused to obey King Nebuchadnezzar. He had set up an image and ordered on his command everyone to fall down and worship it. In keeping with the king’s mandate, because of their refusal, they were going to be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Daniel 3:16-18 tells us their response to Nebuchadnezzar, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Even in their trying situation Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were clearly attending to God Himself and did not turn their gaze away from God toward themselves. Even though we are not told they prayed, we can assume they did. And I think we can be encouraged and learn from their response.

  1. Note their commitment expressed by telling the king they didn’t have to defend themselves to him.
  2. Note also their faith that God was able and could save them
  3. Note finally their acceptance of whatever God decided.

In his book Eyes Wide Open Terry Lewis observes their words even if he doesn’t “is not a lack of faith, it is the acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty.” Lewis then makes application for us, “What God does about our situation is up to Him, but we do know that He is able!”

In terms of the title of these thoughts – PRAYER, FAITH, UNANSWERED PRAYER, AND TRUST – I’m suggesting it takes faith to pray as well as trust in accepting it when God says no to our prayer requests.

(For those who may be interested, I recommend the new collection of C.S. Lewis writings on prayer entitled How to Pray: Reflections and Essays.)

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