Read Proverbs 3:5,6 and Psalm 37:3-9
In the recent campaigns, there was an underlying theme
– Trust me! Unfortunately, instead of our being given reasons, we were mostly
told why we shouldn’t trust “them.” God’s Word tells us to “trust in the Lord.”
We want others to trust us. In every one
of these, trusting is a personal choice. Regardless of what it is - our vote,
our money, our children, our lives or our eternity, we will not trust anyone or
anything that we do not believe to be trustworthy. Whether God, others or ourselves, what qualifies
as trustworthy is the same: reliable, humble, relatable, and imitatable.
Reliable goes hand in hand with being dependable and
believable. If we cannot trust them to
do what is said, there is no trustworthiness.
As the saying goes, a trustworthy person does not “write a check, they
cannot back.” We are assured in Numbers 23:19, that God will always stand behind His words. If He says it, He will do it! We need to look for that consistency in
others. They need to find it in us. In
Ephesians 4:15, we are told to “speak truth in love.” The Greek verb translated “speaking truth” literally
means “always truthing,” a key factor in being trustworthy. It is more than words; it is living truth:
continually being real, acting genuine, being consistent in word, deed,
attitude and motive. There is a
consistency in character. What we say
now is what we will do later. Who we are in this situation is who we will be if
it was completely different. Who we are
with one person is who we are with another.
Who we are in private is who we are when the spotlight is on us. The key to this consistency is “in love.” Agape love is always about them. It is choosing to genuinely care and
prioritize what is best for others. Otherwise
it becomes about self: looking good, feeling good, or coming across as
good. These are consistently
inconsistent, and make us unreliable, thus untrustworthy.
“Not about me” is the very definition of being
humble. When Jesus said, “I am gentle and
humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29), He was saying “It is never about Me.” Everything He said and did was about pleasing
the Father (John 8:29) and serving mankind (Matthew 20:28). These make Him
trustworthy. As far as Jesus is
concerned, it is all about us. He cares
specifically, is involved intimately, and invests all He is in our lives, our
concerns and situations. Since He has us
completely covered, we can confidently focus solely on Him and others. See 2 Timothy 1:12. That assurance leads to genuine humility (selflessness
– “not about me”), which in turn makes us trustworthy.
It may surprise you, but “being
perfect” is not a qualifying characteristic of trustworthiness. Jesus was perfect, but not because He held
himself to a rigid standard. Jesus’
perfection was because He consistently chose to please the Father, trust Him
completely and maintain trustworthiness for those looking to Him. This
empowered Him to constantly give the gift of excellence, which is something to
look for in one whom we choose to trust. All the while, Jesus grappled with the
demands of life and people; faced temptations; learned obedience through
suffering; and struggled with a differing will than the Father. He understands
hard times and hard choices. We can relate to these struggles. Others can
relate to our honest sharing of our own struggles, stumbles and survival. Being real and relatable make entrustment
possible.
Jesus came as a living example of what it means to continually
trust the Father and consistently be trustworthy. We need to emulate what we
see and hear in Him. (Ephesians 5:1,2)
Being imitatable is an important part of being trustworthy. It means being be-able, as well as being
believable. Just as we are to pattern our lives after Jesus, others need to be
able to confidently pattern their choices, behavior and lifestyle after us. We
need to be able to say what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1. We need to be
trustworthy.
Making It
Personal
Trustworthiness is measurable. To the extent someone measures up, he/she
should be trusted.
How trustworthiness is your God?
Reliable
0%
__________________________________100%
Humble (about others)
0%
__________________________________100%
Relatable
0%
__________________________________100%
Imitatable
0%
__________________________________100%
Trusting is a choice. (Psalm 31:14; Psalm 56:3) What impact does choosing to believe that God
is trustworthy have on your current situation?
How trustworthy are you?
Reliable
0%
__________________________________100%
Humble (about others, inc. God)
0%
__________________________________100%
Relatable
0%
__________________________________100%
Imitatable
0%
__________________________________100%
Being trustworthy is a choice. How does this exercise
impact your choices in your current situation?
How can applying these standards of trustworthiness be
a godly safeguard on whom you can trust or to what extent?
When someone impacting your life fails the trustworthy
“test,” why is it even more important that you believe the Lord to be
trustworthy? Personally choose to be trustworthy?
