RECAPTURING TRUST

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

John 14:1 (NIV)

                The 2022 Winter Olympics came to an end last night. It was hard to celebrate as the dark cloud of scandal still hung over the event. The positive drug test of Kamila Valieva and her disastrous performance in the women’s free skate has had a major impact on the games. Rightly or wrongly, it has called into question the validity of the ROC athletes, given the widespread doping scandal among Russian athletes in the past. It has also called into question the wisdom of the IOC and others who allowed Kamila to continue to compete. One of the major casualties of these events has been trust.

                Over the past several years, trust has been eroding in our society. Those who we have always looked to for guidance and direction have been vilified and openly challenged. Conspiracy theories abound. Internet posts have taken the place of official information, no matter how bazar or unfounded they are. Anyone in a position of authority is now routinely suspected of lying to us. As a society, we no longer know who to trust. We have become a suspicious and untrusting people. All this has accomplished is to further drive a wedge between us. How can we regain an honest level of trust?

                One of the problems we are facing is that we have placed our trust in the wrong places. We have placed our trust in political systems, only to have them disappoint us. We have placed our trust in prominent people, who have turned out to be less than they led us to believe. We have been lied to so often that we suspect everything we hear as a lie. I saw a sign posted along the road the other day that says, believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear. It encapsulates the caustic environment in which we live.

                It is time to reevaluate in whom we place our trust. If we are going to regain trust, we must place our trust in the right place. That begins with placing our trust, first and foremost, in God. As our society continues to try to marginalize faith, we also continue to erode trust. Without a solid foundation for trust, there is nothing we can hold onto. Trust in God is that solid foundation. Jesus proved that God is trustworthy, even when we don’t understand what He is doing. We can trust that God is in control, no matter what our circumstances look like. We can trust that God really does love us and want what is best for us. We can trust that ultimately God will put all things right. Most of all we can trust that we are secure in him. As the old hymn puts it, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. If we are ever going to regain trust, we need to rebuild our foundation of trust in God and his sovereignty.

                In addition to putting our trust in the right place, we need to put it in the right things. As John says in 1 John 4:1, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. What John is calling for is discernment; a discernment that can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to guide us into truth. Therefore, we need to evaluate what we hear through the lens of God’s word and God’s leading. Being suspicious and argumentative is not from God, it is a tool of Satan to divide and destroy us.

                Finally, we need to place our trust in the right people. Needless to say, all of us have mixed motives. All of us see the world through a particular lens that shapes how we see the world. So how do we know who to trust? We need to look, not only at what they say, but at who they are. Are they leading us to greater unity, love, and grace or toward greater suspicion and mistrust? Jesus made it clear that before we place our trust in anyone, we need to examine the fruit of their lives. As human beings, we will all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. The question is, what is the dominant direction of that person’s life? In the main, can we trust that person to be truthful and sincere?

                But there is one more component that must be added to our recipe to recapture trust. We must be willing to extend trust to others. It is often said that trust must be earned, and to an extent that is true. But today, we have raised the bar so high that no one can get over it. We have asked for perfect performance before we will extend trust. The only one who can ever meet that standard is Christ alone. All the rest of us will fail, and fail miserably. So, if we are going to regain trust, we need to risk extending trust to frail, fallible people who will make mistakes, but in the main truly want to do what is right. We need to pray for those in positions of trust, that they would be faithful and true. We need to resist applying the failure of some to all. We need to trust God to validate our trust and give us the courage to keep trusting even in the face of temporary disappointment.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV)

 

 

ESCAPE OR ENGAGE

 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:10 (NIV)

                There has been a commercial running on TV lately that has captured my attention. It is not that I am interested in the company it represents, but in the message that it gives. If you watched the Super Bowl, you have probably seen it. It is a commercial for Salesforce and it stars Matthew McConaughey. The line that grabs me is, “It’s not time to escape but to engage.”

                We live in a world that is constantly looking for ways to escape. As the commercial points out, many people are looking at things like the “Metaverse” or colonies on Mars as a way to escape the issues we face right here on earth. Many people prefer to live in a virtual world, where they can control all of the variables, rather than engage in a very real world with its uncertainty and risk. Yet we cannot truly escape our world. Whether we like it or not, it is the only world we have.

                Unfortunately, some within the church have chosen the route of escape over that of engaging. This is nothing new. From the time of the first monastic movements, there have been those in the church we have chosen to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. It seems safer to close ranks and live within our tightknit Christian community, rather than be fully engaged in the world around us.

                The Bible calls us to fully engage rather than try to escape. We are to be a positive influence in our world wherever we are. Jesus said that we are to be salt and light in our world. We are to be salt, both adding flavor to life as well as acting as a preservative. We are to be light, both exposing the sin of the world and illuminating the way toward God’s grace, forgiveness, and restoration. As Jesus makes it very clear, in order for us to be salt and light we need to be fully engaged with the world around us.

                For us to really make a positive difference in the world around us we need to demonstrate a better way of living, right here, right now. Paul gives us a roadmap for engaging with our world. He basically is telling us to chose to live in stark contrast to the world around us.

 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  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.
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

                Paul then sums up what it means to be a positive influence in our world. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV)

                There are many practical ways that we can demonstrate the love of God to the people around us, but we can only do it if we engage with them, not escape from them. As the commercial so rightly states, “It’s not time to escape, it’s time to engage.”

Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)

 

FOLLOWING A MORE PERFECT WAY

 “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,”

Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)

                There is no arguing that we live in contentious times. The social and political divide in our country has escalated to a fever pitch. As a people, we view anyone who disagrees with us as our adversary. If you do even a cursory scan of social media, you will discover that it has become the norm to vilify anyone who holds a different point of view than you do. Genuine social discourse has all but disappeared from the public forum.

                The social climate in Jesus’ day was not a whole lot different than what we are experiencing. As a people, the Jews saw all Gentiles as their enemies. In part, we can understand their feelings; living under the heavy hand of the Roman Empire. But at a fundamental level, the Jews hated all non-Jews because they were not Jews. Even within Jewish culture there was a great divide between the elite and the common masses. The Pharisees looked down on the common people because they didn’t strictly keep all of the multitude of laws that the Pharisees had instituted. The common people were viewed as a threat to the religious purity of their faith. On the other side, the Sadducees, who had taken a stance of compromise with the Romans, saw the Pharisees and the common people as a threat to their political power.

                Jesus stepped into this volatile situation with a radical solution. Instead of hating our enemies, he calls us to extend love and compassion toward them. Instead of escalating the conflict between people groups, Jesus calls for disarmament. He calls us to see others through the eyes of God, who is gracious and merciful to all, regardless of who they are.

                In the volatile culture in which we live, we need to take Jesus’ command to heart. If we would genuinely respond in love toward others, we would stand out from the world and radically shift the playing field. How can we do that?

                There are two things that Jesus calls us to do. The first is to extend love to those who we view as our enemies. This includes those who actively oppose us, as well as those who just choose to ignore us. When we are faced with hatred and abuse, we need to respond with love and compassion. Jesus is not talking about what we normally think of when we think of love. Our first thought about love is as an emotion, usually a romantic emotion. Jesus is rather talking about a conscious choice to treat others with respect, honor, and compassion. As Jesus put it in Matthew 7:12, So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. This kind of love is not some warm, fuzzy feeling, but a choice to extend the love of Christ to others, no matter who they are.

                The second thing that Jesus calls us to do is to pray for those who oppose us. When Jesus says to pray for them, he does not mean pray against them. The Psalms are full of examples of calling on God to send judgment on enemies. That is our natural tendency; the natural way that we react. Jesus turned that upside down. He commands us to pray for their well-being; to pray that the grace of God would flood their lives and transform them by its power.

                Too many of us today have decided that the way to address the issues of our day is to attack others. Jesus is calling us, not to attack, but to engage with others. To extend compassion to those who see the world differently than we do. He calls us to respond to the hurtful, negative attacks of others with grace; to refuse to add fuel to the fire. As Paul says in Colossians 4:5-6, Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

                The love that Jesus expects us to extend toward others is a practical, tangible love. It is a love that looks behind the hatred and sees the hurt; that looks behind the offense to see the person. Paul clearly understood this when he wrote these words.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)

                Whatever are the issues that you are struggling with today, I want to invite you to take those issues to God in prayer. Ask God to show you a better way to respond. Ask God to give you the courage to follow a better way. Ask God to use you to change the caustic environment we live in, one relationship at a time.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:36 (NIV)