Trust
Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (NIV).
John 2:24-25 - "But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man" (NIV).
1 Corinthians 4:2 - "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (NIV).
1 Corinthians 13:7 - "It [Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (NIV).
2 Timothy 2:2 - "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (NIV).
Trust is a precious gift that we can give to one another. When we choose to depend on someone, open up our vulnerable selves to another, we give that person our trust. This gift of trust is fragile and can easily be damaged. But, it is an essential element to any relationship. Choosing to put yourself in a position of dependence on another person communicates great value to that person. Giving trust means that you believe in that person. You are placing your life in their hands. Our greatest act of trust then is toward the Father. We are called to put our eternal destiny in His hands.
As children, we naturally trust the big people around us. We expect that we will be fed, clothed and cared for. Even in very dysfunctional situations, children keep persevering with giving their trust. But, this doesn't last for long. We experience broken promises, anger and neglect. We realize that trust is something to be guarded. As experiences of rejection piles up, we learn not only to guard our trust but to withhold our trust from most people. Self-protection becomes our highest value, rather than God's value of giving trust.
1 Corinthians 13:7 says that "God always trusts…." (NIV). It is quite amazing to think that God knows everything, feels the pain of sin in the world and still trusts. He trusts His church with the keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16:19). He trusts us to exercise His authority on earth (Matt. 28:18-20). This trust means that God believes in us. Even though He knows our capacity to rebel against Him, He keeps extending His hand of trust. The fact that God trusts us is the foundation for our trust in others. God gives wisdom in how to give our trust away. This is not always a straight-forward process. But, we can take the risk of depending on others, because God takes the risk of depending on us. Hurt is always a possibility. But, that didn't stop Jesus from coming to earth. He chose instead to trust His Father and then give Himself away to us.
For More Study
Thoughts and Questions for Application
Memorization
Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (NIV).
John 2:24-25 - "But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man" (NIV).
1 Corinthians 4:2 - "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (NIV).
1 Corinthians 13:7 - "It [Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (NIV).
2 Timothy 2:2 - "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (NIV).
Trust is a precious gift that we can give to one another. When we choose to depend on someone, open up our vulnerable selves to another, we give that person our trust. This gift of trust is fragile and can easily be damaged. But, it is an essential element to any relationship. Choosing to put yourself in a position of dependence on another person communicates great value to that person. Giving trust means that you believe in that person. You are placing your life in their hands. Our greatest act of trust then is toward the Father. We are called to put our eternal destiny in His hands.
As children, we naturally trust the big people around us. We expect that we will be fed, clothed and cared for. Even in very dysfunctional situations, children keep persevering with giving their trust. But, this doesn't last for long. We experience broken promises, anger and neglect. We realize that trust is something to be guarded. As experiences of rejection piles up, we learn not only to guard our trust but to withhold our trust from most people. Self-protection becomes our highest value, rather than God's value of giving trust.
1 Corinthians 13:7 says that "God always trusts…." (NIV). It is quite amazing to think that God knows everything, feels the pain of sin in the world and still trusts. He trusts His church with the keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16:19). He trusts us to exercise His authority on earth (Matt. 28:18-20). This trust means that God believes in us. Even though He knows our capacity to rebel against Him, He keeps extending His hand of trust. The fact that God trusts us is the foundation for our trust in others. God gives wisdom in how to give our trust away. This is not always a straight-forward process. But, we can take the risk of depending on others, because God takes the risk of depending on us. Hurt is always a possibility. But, that didn't stop Jesus from coming to earth. He chose instead to trust His Father and then give Himself away to us.
For More Study
- Genesis 22:1-19
- Psalm 37
- 1 Corinthians 12
- 1 Timothy 2-3
Thoughts and Questions for Application
- Can you think of people in your life that you currently trust? Why do you trust them?
- How can you imitate God in giving trust to others? Give examples to show how you can give trust.
- When trust has been damaged in your life, God wants to bring healing. The first step is giving your trust to God. He can then show you how to release trust to others in appropriate ways.
- Think about the fact that God trusts you. How does that make you feel? Take some time to talk to God about this.
Memorization
Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (NIV).
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