Trust

Do you trust me?  That is a question that I’ve heard asked so many times in movies, a question that I’ve said to Tami several times during our lifetime together, and a question that comes into our lives every day.  When I go shopping, the question of trust is raised whenever I’m making an expensive purchase, when I buy a car from a car dealership it runs through my mind, and of course when I buy a home I have to ask that very question.  We are living in a day when trust is such a difficult thing to have because we are misled in so many areas.  I’ve bought the lemon car that I was promised was perfect.  I ordered that online product that was going to make my life so much easier only to get it in the mail and realize I’ve been conned.  Luckily I’ve never bought a home that had any hidden surprises waiting for me, but I’ve seen it happen to others.  Do you trust me?

The world we live in today has seen so many broken promises, from our government to our school systems, and even in the church where we should be able to trust everything.  So, how do I learn to trust?  How do I know when I can answer yes to that question?  How do I know when I can truthfully ask others to trust me knowing that I’m a man of integrity?  The Bible teaches us how to know when to say yes to both of those questions—Yes, you can trust me, and Yes, I trust you—and I encourage you to grasp these truths and apply them to your lives every day.

The people I can say “yes, I can trust you” to are the people that exemplify the character of Christ.  When I look at their lives I see fruit being produced that is good fruit.  They are not about themselves and what they can get out of me but instead want to know what can they do for me to strengthen my journey with Christ.  They don’t lie to me, cheat me, or talk bad about me.  They approach me when I’ve done something to hurt them and follow the Biblical example of talking to me one on one.  They encourage me to become the man of God that I’m supposed to be.  That is a person I can trust.  You may be saying that there are not people like that, but I want you to know that there are people like that and those are the people that you need to be seeking out and building relationships with. 

How do I know if people trust me?  Do they see Christ in me?  Do they see that my heart is passionate for the things of God for them as well as for me?  Am I producing fruit that is good fruit or am I leaving a path of destruction in the things I’m doing?  And the real hard one for me is this: do I love them enough to approach them one on one when I feel they are doing something that is contrary to Scripture?  These are such high standards and I know that we will never be perfect in living each of them every day, but they should be our goal.  If I can’t answer to the positive on most of them in my daily life, then I need to get on my knees and ask for God’s forgiveness and set out to live the way I’m called to live.  If I do live by these standards most of the days, then I need to remain humble because it is by the working of the Holy Spirit in my life that I’m able to do it.  God has called all of us to live this way, so forget the past and establish for yourself new values today to fulfill God’s plan for your life!