Trust in God

When did you know you were an independent person? When you got your driver’s license? Graduated high school? College? Got married? Started your career? It’s hard to know when the process actually began because there are many little steps that led to each (or most) of those achievements. The process of becoming more confident in life is quite complicated.

The actual driver’s license doesn’t mean you really know how to drive, any more than the diploma means you’ve learned what’s needed in your job. And having a marriage certificate doesn’t mean you understand what it means to pledge your heart to someone or that you’ve got it all figured out.

Somewhere in that process, there are natural moments of doubt, conflict, and then growth. These are points along the pathway that cause you to question whether or not you’re on the right path––career, spouse, even faith! Does that equate to sin?

Is it wrong to pause and reflect on your choices? Perhaps the sin comes in when I realize a flaw in my plan and choose not to do anything about it. James 4:17, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

During Jesus’ ministry, He was under fire by the religious leaders. People who, we would assume, longed to know God and His will better. Yet, when His will was revealed, they refused to budge. In other words, they doubted the legitimacy of Jesus’ claim to be “one with the father” – (Read John 6). At one point He was asked in John 6:28, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe (trust) in the one He has sent.” To which they asked, “What sign then will You give that we may see it and believe (trust) You?”

People all throughout the Bible didn’t always understand what they were experiencing, which seriously threatened their trust in God! (Read Psalms 88 & 89 as an example). Even Job wanted a face-to-face counsel with God, Jacob wrestled God, and multiple people weren’t persuaded to fully trust God yet. In part, that’s the beauty of Scripture––we get a raw glimpse into the lives of people who chose to trust even in the uncertain spots, a decision that led to a more mature faith, but the complete abandonment of faith for others. Struggles happen!

Jesus demonstrated that He not only has power over illness, disease, hunger, even death, but He also demonstrated how He was acting out what had been prophesied about the Messiah. They could trust Him (believe in Him) to be the Messiah, the promised anointed king, or they could reject it. But that’s true for us today as well––we can choose to accept the words of God as the map that leads to our heavenly father, or we can reject them and head out to the pigpens (e.g. Luke 15:11-32).

The widow in Luke 21:1-4 trusted God with her livelihood. Her trust was her faith in God. That faith led her to give all. Those who wouldn’t be persuaded gave nothing except themselves over to their own jealousy. On this path of life there are many turns and twists that challenge our trust in God, but remember that God’s words and His actions were the proof that they needed to trust God… Are you persuaded?

What Does Marriage Mean?

What does marriage mean? Psychology Today defined it as “the process by which two people make their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joining of two people in a bond that is supposed to last until death…” But a psychology magazine isn’t the best place to find out about marriage. It helps to go back to the source that shows how and when it started––the Bible.

But what do the Scriptures tell us about marriage? The purpose of it might constantly be in question in our culture, but the essence isn’t that difficult to grasp. The very fundamental purpose is bound up in creation. Creating another generation of humans to occupy the planet God has made for us. Genesis 1:26-28, where God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may… Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” The bigger challenge is modeling behavior that helps to love and respect others to ensure continual harmony in as many lives as possible.

However, marriage is also a very powerful symbol of our relationship between God and mankind. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is filled with, and begins and ends with, a marriage (Genesis 1-2 and Revelations 21:9, 22:17). At the heart of it all, marriage begins with a promise to love, honor, and cherish. But, for humans, there is a lot of inconsistency in keeping promises––in marriage or otherwise. The solution is making love… into a verb. This is what Jesus demonstrated during His time on earth: Love is visible and therefore it helps define itself by what it does.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

If “God is love” (1 John 4:7-12), then everything He commanded us to do, is an acknowledgment of that love in action. In other words, we’re created to recreate the demonstration of God’s love to others. Marriage is probably the most universally recognized union between two people that starts with a promise, deals with differences, focuses on bringing up another generation, and ultimately has the most lasting influence on people.

Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a marriage for a reason––God has a marriage-style commitment to us, and those worthy of that commitment will have a similar commitment to those God has made in His image.

A Rock of Offense

Most of us talk to someone every day, therefore, as Ecclesiastes 5:3 says, “…too many words make you a fool” (NLT), or as Proverbs 10:19 says, “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable.” (NASB) What do I mean by bringing these verses up? Basically, the more you talk to people the more likely you say something that offends them.

To some degree, that’s just life. We’re all imperfect people, hopefully doing our best to get along with others. But it seems that we are living in an increasingly angry and easily offended world. While that’s too bad, it does give us more opportunity to exercise the principles that Jesus instituted in the Sermon on the Mount… “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.…” (Matthew 5:38-45).

Here are a few thoughts on what might help us react to times when we are offended. After all, how we handle being “offended” can make a huge difference.

1. Be cautious. Sometimes the best response is no response. James 1:19, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

2. Be calm. If you go looking for a fight, chances are you are going to find one. Romans 12:17-18, “Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

3. Be clear. Think through what you want to say before you say it. Then make sure the words you use don’t create more friction. Take time to pray and meditate on what it means to be a “peacemaker,” since Jesus said that they would “be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

These high-tension moments allow the heart of who we are to shine the brightest. While we shouldn’t be looking for conflict and being offended (or being offensive), it will happen. Our goal is to lean on God’s directions to better handle those situations.

Take some time to reflect on how easily “offended” the Pharisees and priests were by Jesus’ teachings. But had they responded with more godliness, they may have been able to see more of the picture and even change their destiny. What about you? What do you need to do to mend an offended relationship? God’s word will help!

The Authority of Christ

From our earliest years of life, most of us were taught to “respect” those in authority: parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, police, etc. And yet, most of the defining moments of our lives are developed from those crossroads where we break away from “the nest” and go our own way and establish our own “authority.” It’s as if we’ve been trained so that we can establish personal authority in a responsible way at the appropriate time.

In fact, when we meet an adult who isn’t able to make a decision without the approval of a parent, most would agree that there was an over-dependence issue. In 1961, a trial was conducted in Jerusalem concerning the Nazi war crimes committed during WWII. One person in particular on trial was Adolf Eichmann, who played an integral part in the death camps. Yet, at the trial, he claimed that he wasn’t guilty because he was “just following orders.”

Long before that trial in Jerusalem, another trial was underway against Jesus, the son of God most high. The claim was that He claimed authority that He wasn’t authorized to claim (Luke 20:1-8). However, He’d been proving his authority over and over again throughout His ministry, from His beginning sermon (Matthew 5-7), where the people recognized that “He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (7:29) to His own disciples who quickly learned that “even the winds and the waves obey Him!” (Matthew 8:27)

Jesus verified He was the Messiah to John the Baptist’s followers by doing things that demonstrated His authority. Luke 7:22-23, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.” This happens to be a quote from Isaiah 61, and that entire book had a lot to do with establishing the authority of God through His promised redeemer of the world–the Messiah.

Although questioning authority is healthy if done respectfully and at the right time, the Pharisees didn’t have pure motives. When we read the Bible, we get a peek into the mind of God, and therefore we can begin to understand what His will is (Ephesians 5:17, Matthew 7:21). Jesus proved He had power even over death! That proof gives credibility to all His other actions and teachings that point to His authority over everything! It’s difficult to truly let God’s will be my authority, and not just my own interpretation of it.

Ephesians 1:18-23, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he Has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority…”