Even though Christianity is mainly derived from the New Testament, we can learn much from the Old Testament since it is chock-full of pertinent verses, especially on trust, concerning God, what we can expect from Him, and what He expects from us. Here is a powerful verse from Proverbs 3:5. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.” Here is the same verse from the “Living Bible”—even though it is sort of a paraphrase, it makes several interesting points—“Trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”
I am certain there are several ways God desires His children to trust Him. Without a doubt, trust is something no one can gain overnight; it comes as familiarity increases. The best way to become familiar with the Lord God/Jesus Christ is from knowing His commands, how He reacted to various situations in the Christian Bible, and to some degree, experiencing the life of Jesus Christ. Therefore, becoming acquainted with New Testament Scripture and living a holy life are two of the best, if not the best, avenues to learn of God’s ways.
I am absolutely certain that the most important way God desires to be trusted is for us to believe what He commands and teaches throughout the Bible. Another aspect of trust is to have a good relationship with Him. A close relationship relies on a mutual trust of each other. We trust Jesus Christ to eventually bring us with Him into heaven. Once we have verbally/mentally made an oath (promise) to make Him our Lord (boss/owner) and Savior, to commit our entire lives to Him, He trusts us to obey and live as He commands. Of course, our trust in Jesus to bring us with Him will be of little or no value if we cannot be trusted to do our part.
Luke 16:10-11. “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. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” These verses imply several things. First, it is imperative that we remain active in accomplishing the things that God trusted us to do while on earth. That will tell Him how we will act while in heaven. And second, this is just one verse which infers that you and I will have a free will in heaven. One of the most basic qualities of all life, earthly or heavenly, is a free will. Angels have a free will; that strongly suggests we will also. Many angels decided they wanted to do evil, so they became Satan’s cohorts. Check Revelation 12:7-9.
Even in our glorious bodies, God will not give us a free will that will not be able to disobey Him; otherwise it wouldn’t be free anymore. That is why it is extremely important that God can trust us in the here and now. What God does do is to take temptations out of heaven by vividly teaching us goodness and selfless love. Also, there will be little reason to disobey when everyone is smothered in Godly love.
Nevertheless, it seems there always will be a potential that we could disobey; to overcome that possibility, God only chooses those that proved while on earth that they wouldn’t disobey; of course, that doesn’t mean that while on earth, we won’t inadvertently (unintentionally) slip on occasion; that is where Christ has us covered. Check 1st John 2:1. That verse does not cover intentional or premeditated sin. If one fulfilled the trust to obey while in this dark world, how much easier and more blessed it will be to obey while in the presence of perfect love.
God giving us the opportunity to trust Him as to who He is and what He stands for is the foundation of our relationship. When someone, for whatever reason, doesn’t trust the Lord God, the Lord is mistakenly regarded as a heartless taskmaster. And when God isn’t able to trust a large group of people who simply call themselves Christians, they become a liability—and for good reason—to the cause of Jesus Christ. That is a difficulty He and a few of His friends are up against in these last days. That is the main reason for this blog.
Actually, there can be no bona fide kinship for either party when trust is not coupled with love. The big problem is that many people trust Jesus Christ as their savior while failing to fulfill their part of the arrangement. They take God’s Salvation for granted, regardless of what type of life they are living. That is not only disastrous for the individual, but in setting examples for others, it will make it devastating for others also. Remember, if you want to believe it or not, “We become like those we gaze at.”
Two of the most obvious signatures in this blog are Scriptural obedience and at the same time, exposing the holy bull that is passed off as truth by many organized churches, etc. The question remains: Can Christians be trusted to be truthful and trustworthy to Jesus Christ? Definitely, the answer is “Yes, but not many.” Slackers say our Salvation is in God’s hands. Yes and no. It is God’s privilege to choose holy people to be with Him for eternity, and it is our responsibility to make sure, by our lives of Godly belief which overflow with love and obedience, that He chooses us.
In summation, when we truly believe all that Jesus Christ did for us by His life and death on the cross, and follow that all-important belief by obedience to His commands, we can be absolutely certain and can place our complete trust in God that we will be, without a doubt, one of His chosen.
Isaiah 26:3. “You [the Lord] will keep in perfect peace him [you and I] whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you [the Lord].” What a great promise: PERFECT PEACE. Isn’t that what we are all seeking?
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