Weekly Update - Trust
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” Trust is a complicated part of our lives. Isn’t it? We even have an old proverb about betrayed trust that says, “Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”It’s not always easy to know who you can trust. We all have stories about someone who’s betrayed our trust.When I was in college I spent a summer helping a guy install hardwood flooring. It was a good job and helped me pay my bills. At the end of the summer, after logging fifty hours of work since my last paycheck, I gave him my timecard and he gave me my last check. To my dismay, several days after depositing my check I received a notice from my bank that the check bounced! The man was nowhere to be found and I was never paid. That was devastating, but thankfully my parents helped me pay the bills that month. I learned a valuable lesson that summer. You can’t trust everyone but one should be thankful for those whom he can trust.
Who can we trust today? That’s an important question and one that many people are asking. Consider the ongoing debate about the best way to fight COVID-19. Should we hunker down? Should we stay open and hope for the best? Will a vaccine save the day? There are no shortage of opinions that claim to answer those questions. It just depends on which “expert” to whom we refer and whose advice we trust. The continuously changing circumstances further complicate the matter and cause professional opinions to change daily.
I am not going to offer you my own opinion about these issues because I am not qualified to guide others in matters such as this one. But, as your pastor I believe that the Lord qualified me to give you some spiritual direction during a time such as this.
First, we should trust in the Lord above everyone and everything else. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” God is unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere all at once. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” He is worthy of our trust because His immutability, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and love guarantee that He will never let us down and will always act in our best eternal interest. God offers us a promise that no one else can deliver. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Trust in the Lord!
Second, we should search for answers in the Bible and obey what we learn from it. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” The Bible may not specifically answer our questions about what to do about COVID-19, but it does teach us about things like wisdom (Jas 1:5), wise counsel (Prov 12:15), and considering the consequences of our actions (Lk 14:28). These types of principles provide a proper foundation for us to make good decisions and to know who we should trust. Study the Bible and obey it.
Third, we should recognize and obey those in authority over us. Romans 13:1 says, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” That’s a tough one for us to accept and obey isn’t it? We don’t like being told what to do. Obeying authority only extends to the degree to which those in authority lead in a biblical way. For example, if our state government passed a law that it is illegal to share the gospel, then we would not obey that law because it contradicts the Bible. Thankfully, we have tremendous freedom to observe the tenets of our Christian faith in the U.S. Also, if you disagree with a law that does not contradict the Bible, then we have a judicial process in which you may engage to change the law. Disobeying the law because you disagree with it is unbiblical and damages our witness in the community. I realize that circumstances are not always easy to interpret, but as followers of Jesus we should do our best to obey those in authority over us. There is a great potential for disagreement leading to disunity in the church because of our feelings about recent new laws. I have not noticed this at Fifth Street, but let’s proceed with love, mercy, and extend grace to one another in the midst of our disagreements (Eph 4:29; Col 3:12, 4:6; Mt 5:7).
While this verse is not directly applicable to our situation, I think the command from Moses to Joshua as the Israelites prepared to conquer the Promised Land is still something that provides encouragement for us today as we walk through this pandemic. We need not fear these circumstances because we serve a God who is more powerful then and in control of them!
In His Service,
Pastor Josh
I am not going to offer you my own opinion about these issues because I am not qualified to guide others in matters such as this one. But, as your pastor I believe that the Lord qualified me to give you some spiritual direction during a time such as this.
First, we should trust in the Lord above everyone and everything else. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” God is unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere all at once. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” He is worthy of our trust because His immutability, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and love guarantee that He will never let us down and will always act in our best eternal interest. God offers us a promise that no one else can deliver. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Trust in the Lord!Second, we should search for answers in the Bible and obey what we learn from it. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” The Bible may not specifically answer our questions about what to do about COVID-19, but it does teach us about things like wisdom (Jas 1:5), wise counsel (Prov 12:15), and considering the consequences of our actions (Lk 14:28). These types of principles provide a proper foundation for us to make good decisions and to know who we should trust. Study the Bible and obey it.Third, we should recognize and obey those in authority over us. Romans 13:1 says, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” That’s a tough one for us to accept and obey isn’t it? We don’t like being told what to do. Obeying authority only extends to the degree to which those in authority lead in a biblical way. For example, if our state government passed a law that it is illegal to share the gospel, then we would not obey that law because it contradicts the Bible. Thankfully, we have tremendous freedom to observe the tenets of our Christian faith in the U.S. Also, if you disagree with a law that does not contradict the Bible, then we have a judicial process in which you may engage to change the law. Disobeying the law because you disagree with it is unbiblical and damages our witness in the community. I realize that circumstances are not always easy to interpret, but as followers of Jesus we should do our best to obey those in authority over us. There is a great potential for disagreement leading to disunity in the church because of our feelings about recent new laws. I have not noticed this at Fifth Street, but let’s proceed with love, mercy, and extend grace to one another in the midst of our disagreements (Eph 4:29; Col 3:12, 4:6; Mt 5:7).
While this verse is not directly applicable to our situation, I think the command from Moses to Joshua as the Israelites prepared to conquer the Promised Land is still something that provides encouragement for us today as we walk through this pandemic. We need not fear these circumstances because we serve a God who is more powerful then and in control of them!
In His Service,
Pastor Josh
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