04/12/17 Trust…
April 12, 2017 ~ jboatfield ~ Edit "04/12/17 Trust…"
Has anyone ever let someone borrow something? Maybe you let a friend borrow a basketball because they didn’t have one and they wanted to shoot around outside. Or how about letting someone borrow a pair of pajama pants because they forgot to bring some to your house because they are sleeping over. Or how about you let a friend borrow a blu ray movie because they didn’t have it and they were dying to see it? (If anyone has Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 blu ray I havent seen it maybe we can talk after class……) If you think about it long enough you can probably come up with a few things you let people borrow, or a few friends that you would let borrow something if they needed it. But I think we can agree that the list of friends we WOULD let borrow something, is smaller than the list of friends we WOULD NOT let borrow things….
Quick story: Back in the day, way back when I was in School my friend Ryan and I would let each other borrow stuff all the time. Cds, DVDs, Footballs, Shirts, tons of stuff and it was never a big problem. Untill the day I wanted to borrow one of his Gameboy games. You would think I asked him for a million dollars…. I didn’t expect the answer I was about to receive…Let me think about it and I will let you know tomorrow…. I was shocked….Like, really man we have known each other since we were in diapers and you have to “think about it?” So the next day I ask about borrowing the game which I think was a newer Mario game at the time Im not sure, and he pulls out a contract…. Bascially a rental agreement ….This thing was intense! And in the middle of the contract was a statement that stated if something happened to the game I was responsible for buying him a new one! At this point I was kinda irritated and just asked him “Why do I have to sign a contract,….dont you trust me?!
We have been friends forever, why wouldn’t there be trust? So when it comes to who you let borrow things its not about friendship, what youre really making a decision about is “Can I Trust. Can I Trust this person with my stuff, Can I trust this person with whats mine, Can I Trust that what Im about to give you is not returned to me hurt or damaged?
I was surprised when I had a contract sitting in front of me just to borrow one of my best friend in the world’s video games. I mean we had known each other since we were babies. Our moms were pregnant at the same time.. He is literally just 17 days older than me that is it…For him not to trust me blew me away! But that’s what happens when the value of what we hold onto outweighs the trust we have for someone, even our closest friends..
So I want you guys to think about this; when your friends don’t trust you what kind of emotions does that bring up? Even if its for something small like borrowing a CD for a road trip or a book to read , little things, what does that make you feel like?
Do you think God feels the same way about you when you don’t trust him with what you’re holding onto?
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord(A) with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths(B) straight.[a](C)
So out of everyone we can think of, that we love or have a friendship with, who should be the first to come to mind? Who should be that friend we can trust the most?
Yes, It should be God.
However, I want you to think about how much do you trust God. What is your level of trust like with him? NOW, This isn’t a class about beating yourself up because you don’t trust God enough. Everyone in this room should trust God more about many areas in our lives. So don’t think about why you don’t trust God enough or feel bad. Instead of thinking about it like that..Why don’t you think about it like this.. realize you are about to learn about the reasons why you WANT to trust God every day and the freedom of having someone who will never break your trust!
Lets take a step back and learn about trust. How do you know you can trust someone?
Its not something you just give someone you don’t know. I mean I wouldn’t let any of you borrow my car, its not that I don’t like you, or the fact LEGALLY you cant drive a vehicle, but how do I know I can trust you with something of value to me. Our levels of trust coincide directly with the value of what is wanted from the other person. It would be really easy to let someone borrow a basketball in a gym that you were going to be in. You could watch the person with the basketball. You know how the ball was being handled and you know that it wasn’t being used for other stuff. Its easier to trust someone with a basketball than it is lets say your brand new phone or ipad. Especially if the person you let borrow the ipad is going to Florida and wants to use your ipad to take pictures and post them to facebook while on the beach!
We become vulnerable when we let someone else have possession of what we value…
No one wants there new iPhone screen broken, no wants to wreck a friends car, and no one wants to be emotionally hurt when they thought they could trust someone and it turns out they were wrong. No one wants to bel let down and no one wants to be disappointed. One of my favorite things about God’s character is that He is not a father who will tell you He is going to do something and turn around to do the opposite. Our Father is not a contradicting Father.
Why should we Trust God?
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans(A) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(B) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This one verse should sum up why we should trust God. God is not a contradicting Father. He wants us to prosper and do well, He wants to give us hope in this world, and he wants to make sure we know that He has our tomorrow under control because He has our future plans already laid out! Notice this though, He also said plans “not to harm you.” God doesn’t want to hurt us, he wants to protect us from harm.
Psalm 91:2 (NIV)
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge(A) and my fortress,(B) my God, in whom I trust.”
Another name for God is Jehovah-Machsi which means the “Lord is my Refuge”God wants to keep us from being hurt in any kind of way. Lets look at the whole chapter real quick.
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter(A) of the Most High will rest in the shadow(B) of the Almighty.[a] 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge(C) and my fortress,(D) my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare(E) and from the deadly pestilence.(F) 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;(G) his faithfulness will be your shield(H) and rampart. 5 You will not fear(I) the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.(J)
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm(K) will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels(L) concerning you to guard you in all your ways;(M) 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.(N) 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.(O)
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.(P) 16 With long life(Q) I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.(R)”
If you ever thought you needed someone you could trust, to help you, to protect you. Just read this verse. God wants you to trust Him, but how much do you want to trust God?
When other people want your trust you end up giving them something. It can be a physical thing like a book, movie, or camera. It could be your time to help out with something, or it could be just for you to be somewhere to listen. No matter what your giving them though, youre also leaving yourself vulnerable, either a little bit or a lot. Vulnerable to disappointment, frustration, possibly hur.
But, when we trust God with something we leave ourselves vulnerable to peace, faith, and Joy. Confidence in our future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans(A) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(B) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I cant think of anyone else that I want to trust more than God. I know we talked about “things” a lot. Physical objects like Games, CD’s, Books, Etc. And we know that God doesn’t want “things” So it would be kinda silly to think he would want things from us but actually he does….. He wants our hearts. He wants our attention, and He wants our love. He desires all of these things! And God wants you to know that when you give him your heart to him, that you can trust him with it.
That your heart will never be returned to you hurt or damaged. That it will be protected and kept safe. His hands will hold you, and keep you safe like the fortress they are. God desires your trust!
