Trust or Control

Do you see yourself as a person who trusts others? Or to put it another way, and perhaps in a more telling way, are you a trustworthy person yourself? Do others see you as someone they can trust? Is your word your bond, and can it be relied on? Wow, so many questions, but they go to the heart of my thoughts today. 

After all, what is the opposite of trust? Perhaps the person who has little or no trust is a control junkie where there is a monster round every corner, waiting to take away your personal freedom. If you are not a trusting person, there is a big  probability that you fear being controlled. There are those who do have an irrational fear of ‘big brother’/government control which can be seen and applied from many angles. The food we eat. Is it deliberately processed to control? The news program we watch. Is it set to present a skewed view of the world in such a way to suggest we are being controlled from a higher place?

Somehow, I think you have come across people who fear control. There may even be a few friends who think that way, and express their views openly and in such a way as to gather support for their views. These folks may be quite unsure of themselves or even paranoiac. They can also be very vocal in the expression of their views.

The faithful Christian believer is ripe ground for feeling they (and the world) are under control from the top, whether government, MPC (Monetary Policy Control), or the biggie WEF (World Economic Forum). These may all lead in an extreme way to the One World Government, and/or a Single Currency. A good example of a united currency is where the Euro replaced a dozen or so other national currencies. Take that a step further and think of the world having one currency. Imagine the benefits, but also the dangers!

The Bible warns of the end times having a one world currency, and a one world religion. Imagine the dangers, and now maybe we can understand why some fervent believers are so vocal in their views. Are they right, or perhaps misguided in their extreme opinions?

A man brought his son to Jesus for healing from a demonic spirit, and he knew his own limitations, but he fully believed in Jesus’ power to heal when he exclaimed:”I believe, help Thou my unbelief”. Mark 9:24. He got it right when he determined that Jesus knew the difference between doubt, disbelief and unbelief, and could heal all three. May we have the simple faith of that man!

Them

[ The Golden Rule ] “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew7:12NLT

It can easily come down to a choice of ‘them’ or ‘us’ when we try to figure out where society stands on various things, but it is most obvious when we talk about ethical, or moral, and certainly faith and religious beliefs. You know how it goes. We believe this, but they believe that. They interpret the Bible that way, but we know better because we interpret it this way. See where I am coming from? Perhaps you have encountered it yourself?

If each of us treated others just the same way we would want to be treated, this would be a better world. The importance of how we deal with those who disagree with us on religious beliefs and faith cannot be overstated. If we want to be Christ-Like, there should be no finger waving or pointing. Did you or I come into the Kingdom, or see the way ahead by being shouted at, or vehemently disagreed with? Certainly not. To put it into old fashioned language, we were woo’d, softly, gently, but with the determination of a loving God. We should do the same to others.

The phrase by Mrs “Do as you would be done by” is as true now as it ever was when introduced by “The Water Babies”, and much better than her counterpart, Mrs “Be done by as you did”. The secular world recognises who they prefer, and it follows that this Golden Rule spoken by Jesus is just what we ALL need, whether IN the church or OUT. This is as much a word of challenge for me as for anyone else.

Fake Smiles

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. Proverbs 14:13

Who says the Bible is irrelevant? The fact is, it is filled with truth, from Genesis to Revelation, showing birth, life and death in a real context. The above verse is one of those uneasy truths, and somehow I know you will relate, but it is equally good to hold onto the verse: “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3”. It’s not only in the Bible, the secular world knows this truth too, and is mirrored in the words of the old song:

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by If you smile through your fear and sorrow.

How do you know the smile of the heartbroken or sorrowful? You don’t. It’s as simple as that. I was reminded again today that the folks who can smile convincingly, are the very ones who carry the heaviest load. You might think they are just good actors, but I happen to believe they have a very keen sense of their own humanity and mortality. Not in a morbid sense, but in such a way that they see life more clearly, and that includes being thankful for all that God has given them in the here and now.

I would be the last person to wish ill health or heartache on anyone, but when you are close to Jesus, you believe that everything will work out in His plan. On a personal level I had a lot of difficulty with Romans 8:28, but that was because I was looking on as my loved one went through the growing stages of cancer, and yet I saw that same trusting spirit in another fine Christian lady today. Neither would think negatively because they trusted the verse completely, but mostly because they have full confidence in their Saviour. And that’s exactly what Jesus would do in whatever form it takes. Jesus would ‘save’, and He does, because He was and is a ‘Saviour’. So, when you are having a really hard time, and as difficult as it sounds, take this verse to heart. Romans 8:28 is still true and it works today: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

In Common

A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 NIV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 2:44 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4

Jesus gave the commandment to His disciples, and yes it is a command, but how did the early church do this? How did they put Jesus’ words into practice? Come to think of it, the commandment applies to us too, so how do we manage to cope?

I am familiar with the sharing of food, goods, money, trades, and all the practical things which make life easier as you become an integral part of a shared community, but is that as far as it goes? I don’t think so. People have other needs which are not as easily seen, like feelings, emotions, and anxieties, so I would suggest that Jesus meant us to ‘be there’ for our friends in Christian love. If that means sharing food and work, that is good, but we miss something when we don’t recognise that we also share in each other’s lives in full. If one of our group is absent for a week or two, do we notice? Perhaps we conveniently assume they are on holiday, or away for the weekend. I would suggest that we should care enough to check if they are ill, or going through a tough time before we make any other assumptions. Why should we do this? Because the Word of God says: so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4. I suggest that is reason enough.

Glory? What Glory??

Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’

John 11:40

Sometimes we come across a verse we know well, or think we do, and find ourselves asking questions. Jesus was talking to his friends Martha and Mary as they looked at the tomb where Lazarus lay. Soon Lazarus would be raised from the dead, but can our verse be applied to us today? It comes down to this: If we believe, will we be able to see the Glory of God too?

It’s too easy to shy away from this interpretation, and think that it only applied to the power that can raise the dead, especially at our own passing through the gates of heaven, or the second coming but is that it? Is that all? How do you and I as believers see the Glory of God?

When I became serious about finding out about salvation as a 14 year old, my Sunday School teacher Alex Barclay prayed with me, and besides reading from Scripture and encouraging me to read and pray daily, he read from the hymn “Loved with Everlasting Love” which has stuck with me down the years since that life changing night. The words of the second verse resonate even now:

Heav’n above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green!

Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen;

Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.

The Glory of God lives in every aspect of the believer’s life, and is obvious. We may not witness the raising of the dead, but what about some of the things we can sometimes take for granted? A glorious sunrise and sunset, the budding flower, the healing of the sick, saving grace seen in another’s life, the pure love of a husband or wife, the birth of a baby, laughter, tears of joy, song, poetry, or friendship, and the list could go on. Can science measure any of these? No, because feelings and emotions come from within, and as the old hymn says, for the Christian, things become softer, sweeter, gladder, and deeper. Who but God can do these things? The very Glory of God is there for us to find and see when we know Christ!

What Then?

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, …...but even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’  - Daniel 3:17,18

Every now and again, the Scripture surprises us. We are taught to pray believing, and this is true, but then we come across these verses which suggest that our prayers may not be answered because they don’t fall into God’s will for our lives. Our prayers usually end with words like “Thy will be done” and they roll off the tongue easily. But what if God doesn’t agree with our prayers?

Daniel and his friends knew the dangers full well, and they must have prayed earnestly that they would be spared the furnace. Who wouldn’t? I think it takes real inner strength, courage, and faith to say “but even if He does not”... and put yourself completely at the literal mercy of a loving God. To Daniel, God would be no less loving if they had been tossed to the lions. Could we say that?

How difficult is your life? Are you faced with financial problems, wayward children, personal or a loved one’s serious illness? When you pray, it is important, above all else, that God in love will step in and change things for the better, but what if He doesn’t? We know that some prayers don’t get answered and we are faced with silence. That’s not too bad, but what if the answer is the polar opposite of your prayer? Your money worries get worse, your family faces breakdown, and your loved one doesn’t get well, but dies? What then? Do we still think God is loving and in control?

Daniel faced life or death when he prayed. He was sincere, and the Bible records that he and his friends were thrown into the furnace. They should have died, but these Saints were prepared for that possibility. They didn’t die, a miracle was performed and a witness like no other was seen when another man was noticed beside them, and the onlookers just knew it looked like the Son of God. They didn’t need to be told. They knew. In fact the prayer was answered in a way that no one expected. The lesson for me is, obey the command, pray believing, and let God be God. After all, He really IS in control.

Trust and Betrayal

There are two major news items in the UK this past week. The arrest of two young women accused of carrying $2 million worth of cocaine out of Peru, and a young man who was questioned under terrorism legislation because the security authorities suspected him of carrying material which was a threat to national security in the USA and UK. In his interview, the young man’s defence was that he ‘trusted’ his partner completely, and he wouldn’t do anything bad, would he? It should be said that his partner is a security correspondent with a national UK newspaper, and is embroiled in the massive data leak scandal by Edward Snowden.

Humanly speaking there is a very fine line between trust and betrayal. Trust changes to betrayal in ordinary circumstances, and most of us have seen it or even experienced it, and it is not a good feeling. The two recent articles in the media take betrayal to a very high level where the price is either personal freedom, or your integrity. The worst example of betrayal in the Bible must surely be Judas, who not only knowingly went against the teachings of his master Jesus, but who actively betrayed his fellow disciples. They had a massive amount of trust in him, even to the point of allowing him to look after the finances of their little group.

Call me an old cynic (ok not so fast!) or a realist, but I don’t really mind that someone who is suspected of carrying information which is helpful to a foreign power being questioned for 9 hours, and his laptop data being investigated. He was inconvenienced. Oh diddums what a shame. As for the two young women who were carrying 11 kilo of cocaine, their story has more holes than a kitchen sieve, but what have they got to lose by pleading not guilty, and hoping a fast talking lawyer can do something, anything, to find a point of law to get them off? The common factor is that these are extreme examples of trust being placed in the wrong people, and it turning to betrayal on a grand scale. So who should you and I trust? The only one who is 100% trustworthy, and who will never let you down: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5, and how about: One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24, and if you need more there’s: I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8