Trust

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THE VALUE OF FORGIVING AND REPENTING

(Colossians 3:12-14) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

One vital aspect of good family relationships is forgiveness.  God forgives us because he loves us with a perfect love. He demonstrated this love when he gave us his son to cover our transgressions.  The love we have for each other is tainted.  Our sinful nature causes us to resist forgiving.  Therefore, forgiving even insignificant offences tend to be a challenge.  It’s important then to overcome sinful tendencies and take care of the list of transgressions we are holding on to; otherwise, they can grow into a festering sore that will damage our souls as well as our relationships.    God has provided us with forgiveness and repentance for the healing of relationships.

I share these thoughts with you because I have experienced difficulties with forgiveness and repentance, and I have learned through these struggles the great value of forgiving and repenting.  I have found that forgiving someone reveals that their value as a person is greater than the offence.  This is a Godly perspective.  To repent is a humble expression of confession of the offence we have perpetrated. This initiates the process of forgiveness, but do we have to wait for someone to repent before we can forgive? 

My answer to this question is no.  Forgiveness is ultimately a righteous act before God.  It’s nice if a person repents, yet our forgiving does not depend on their repentance.  When we repent before God it clears our soul and opens the door to rebuilding our relationship with him.  The same is true when we repent to each other. It provides the initial step to rebuild a relationship.

There is great value in following God’s command to forgive.  Unforgiveness resides in our soul and does much damage.  Forgiveness frees our soul.  The same is true about repentance.  To repent frees our soul.

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THE KEY TO ETERNAL GLORY RESTS IN FORGIVENESS

(Ephesians 4:31&32) Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Our fallen nature has the ability to produce bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice.  These are all counter to what God desires for us his children.  He wants us to be kind, compassionate and forgiving.  This is perhaps the greatest challenge for a Christian.  We live in a world where there is little of what God wants and much of what our fallen nature generates.  The key to living a Godly life lies in our ability to forgive one another.

Jesus set the stage for us to forgive, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (see Romans 5:8) God made provision to forgive us through the sacrifice of his Son.  If God was willing to sacrifice his Son for our forgiveness, we should be able to forgive those who sin against us. 

Sometimes the sin against us seems impossible to forgive.  That’s when we need help from the one who knows the cost of forgiveness.  Jesus humbled himself, even to the humility of death on the cross.  If we are willing to set aside our pride, Jesus can patiently guide us through the process of forgiving.  As we work through the difficult challenge to forgive, we can rest assured that God will be pleased, and there is a blessing coming for those of us who are willing to surrender to God’s way.

(1Peter 3:8&9) Finally, All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

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WHEN EVIL THREATENS

(Psalm 64:1-6) Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.  Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plot of the evildoers.  They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.  They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear.  They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “who will see us?”  They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!”  Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

In these first six verses of Psalm 64, King David is before God asking for protection from the evil that constantly threatens him.  King David lived some three thousand years ago, and today we still face the same evil.  As an example, we know that hackers and scammers continually lurk around us.  They use our electronic devices to lore us into their schemes.  They plot how to steal from us with little care for the damage they do.  Yes, we can agree with King David that the human mind and heart are cunning.

Can we stop this evil? Well, since it has gone on for thousands of years, I think not.  Only God can finally put an end to it.  King David trusted that he could turn to God when evil threatens. He continued his Psalm with these words.

(Psalm 64:7-10) But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.  He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.  All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.  The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!

When evil threatens, remember, we can take refuge in the Lord.

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WE EACH HAVE A PART IN GODS PLAN

(Ephesians 2:8-10) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

In the first sentence of this scripture passage, the Apostle Paul points out that we are saved by grace, not by works that we might think we deserve salvation; but it is by God’s gift that we are saved.  Then he tells us that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works.  However, we don’t have to think up these good works because God has already prepared them for us to do.  How do we know what these good works are?

Obviously, since God is the one who prepared our good works, we need to go to him to discover these good works he has set for us.  There are clues that are found in those abilities and talent that are inherent in our character.  There are things that we do that makes us feel fulfilled, but we need God’s direction and guidance to lead us to those specific works that he has prepared for us to do.

Doing what God has designed us to do answers the question why we are here. As we follow Gods plan for us, we discover fulfillment that gives purpose for our lives.  We are now part of a very complex worldwide team of believers. Our part fits into a tapestry where each tread has an important part of the whole picture. 

God alone knows the whole picture.  We walk by faith trusting that what he has assigned to us represents a significant part of the fulfillment of his overall plan for his creation.  What we experience when we are in line with God’s plan for us is our best possible life here on earth.

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GOD DISCIPLINES HIS CHILDREN

(Hebrews 12:4-6) In your struggles against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.  And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son?  It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

This scripture was foundational for me as a young Christian.  One evening at Bible study, I was sitting distressed over difficulties I had been encountering.  One of the brothers came over to me and said, “the Lord told me to share this scripture passage with you.  It was Hebrews 12:4-6.”  I opened my Bible and read the scripture.  It was a perfect insight at a perfect time.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I took in what God was saying to me.  My whole perspective on Christian life was altered in those few moments.  God was disciplining me because he had accepted me as his son.

(Hebrews 12:7) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.

Going on to read verse seven, I realized how God disciplines his children.  The hardships I was encountering were being used by God to teach me to seek him in times of trouble and to trust him to help me.  This understanding was a big step in my Christian development. 

I continued to read on, and when I came to verse eleven, I found even greater comfort:

(Hebrews 12:11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Yes, being disciplined is never pleasant, but we need the training to stand against the devil’s schemes and our sinful nature.  Our Father in heaven desires the best for us.  He loves us and is only doing what a good father would do.  Fortunately, he is a perfect father, and he loves us with a perfect love.

I hope you find this as encouraging as I did those many years ago. I’ve learned that God can be trusted through the hard times.  He is always with us.  He is the best Father.

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RESTING WITH JESUS

(Matthew 11:28-30) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

(John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Paul and Barnabas as they were returning from their first missionary journey, stopped on their way back to Antioch to encourage the new believers in the budding churches they had started.  We read in Acts14:22 this quote, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  They apparently wanted these new believers to know that it’s not easy to be a committed Christian. 

In our scriptures from Matthew and John, we find Jesus talking about rest and peace for believers.  This is an interesting contrast with trouble and hardships, but Jesus explains how rest and peace can be found amid trouble and hardships when he says, “Come to me,” and “Take my yoke upon you.” 

I love the idea of being yoked with Jesus.  A yoke is a mechanism that binds two animals together. The animals can only go in the same direction, and they must agree.  Faith and trust are the mechanism that binds us to Jesus, and the work of God’s kingdom provides us with a direction.  When we are in yoke with Jesus, his power and strength are with us.  When hardships and difficult times come, Jesus has the power and strength to get us through.  Trusting Jesus with our lives gives us peace and rest.

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A DEEP SENSE OF REVERENCE FOR GOD

(Acts 9:31 MSG) All over the country- Judea, Samaria, Galilee- the church grew.  They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God.

The title I’ve chosen for this post comes from the wording of this scripture verse from Acts chapter 9 as worded in The Message.  Eugene Peterson, the translator of The Message, coined some beautiful ways of expressing the scriptures.  I believe these words, “A deep sense of reverence for God,” give a more complete understanding of what it means to fear God.  They seem to incorporate love into fearing God.

It has been my experience that reverencing God happens over time.  As I have walked with God, I have increased in my love and respect for him.  He has blessed me in many ways, and he has been beside me through some pretty tough times.  To my amazement, the tough times have seemed minor.  The devastation that might have been was overcome by his faithful presence in my time of need.

Over the years, I have learned to trust God and rely on him.  I am growing into a deeper sense of reverence for him.

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FEARING GOD

(Proverbs 9:10) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

In the last 60-70 years, our society has worked to limit the reality of punishment.  What was at one time considered good parenting by correcting our children with a spanking, is today called child abuse.  Criminals often get away with minimal consequences for their crimes. The obvious outcome has been that there is a greatly diminished fear of those in authority.  Though we are sinners in need of a savior, It would seem that we are trying to avoid the reality of eventual punishment for our sins. 

(Psalm 33:18) But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

Recognizing the unlimited power and authority of the God of creation is wisdom.  Fearing him leads us to a desire for the knowledge of him and his righteousness.  That desire causes us to avoid those things that anger him.  When we surrender ourselves to his will, we arrive at the humble place where a loving relationship with him can begin.  We can then confidently put our hope in his unfailing love.

Those of us who learn to fear God begin a father-child relationship with him that involves discipline.  His discipline is always for our good (see Hebrews chapter 12). God is molding us into the beings he created us to be.  His discipline is always purposed for bringing us closer to the righteousness he desires for us. 

God built fear into our psychic; fear can be a healthy way of protecting us. Fearing God is a healthy fear, for it leads to an eternal relationship with him.

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JESUS’ UNLIMITED POWER AND FULL AUTHORITY

(Colossians 1:17) The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

I used to read the above scripture to my high school students, and then I’d share, “You know scientists are still not sure what keeps an atom together.  What if Jesus holds all the atoms together?  As you know, atoms are the building blocks of all material things, including us. If Jesus holds all things together, what will happen if he lets go?”  The purpose of this questioning was to start a discussion on the unlimited power of God.

In these words from Colossians, The Apostle Paul tells us that the Son, Jesus, has all authority over creation. Everything that we know was created through him and for him.  The Bible gives us many stories of how Jesus intervened in creation.  He wasn’t just showing off his powers.  He was demonstrating his supernatural powers for the ultimate goal of redeeming us.

I just finished reading the story of Ananias and Sapphira at the beginning of Acts chapter five.  At a critical time in the birthing of the church, Jesus demonstrated his power by striking them dead for lying to the Holy Spirit.  As we read in verse eleven, the results were to cause great fear in the whole church. Jesus obviously deemed this necessary.  He has full authority to give life and to take life. His decisions are perfect; We can’t explain everything Jesus does, but we can trust him in all things.

  We talk about Jesus’ kindness, love and care for us but often forget his sovereignty. Creation is his, and he can do with it whatever he deems necessary. Who can know the mind of the Lord (see 1 Corinthians 2:16)?  He is patient, but we should never take him for granted.  He has unlimited power and full authority over creation.  A little healthy fear seems warranted. 

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FINDING REST FOR OUR SOULS IN GOD

(Psalm 62:5-8) Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. 

King David wrote the words of Psalm 62 to share what he had discovered. He reminds himself, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”  David knew this, but he needed to remind himself.

  We are God’s children dealing with a fallen world full of many evils.  We need our God’s help.  David rehearses all the support God provides for us.  He is our hope, our rock, our fortress, our salvation, our refuge and even our honor.  In the midst of our distress, we tend to get caught up in the troubles and forget that God is there for us.

It’s good to be reminded that we need God.  He is the creator, the source of life, wisdom and power.  It is fortunate that he wants to provide us with all those above-mentioned supports.  All we need to do is ask and then trust him to work out our troubles.  That sounds simple; and it is. In God, we can find rest for our souls.