February 25, 1992
You have heard that old expression: “You can’t get blood out of a stone.” It is true about water too. An ordinary rock can lie on the bottom of a river for thousands of years but if you squeeze it, not a drop of water comes out.
Someone said the church in North America is like that. We sit soaking in spiritual things most of our lives, but when we get squeezed, nothing comes out — just expressions of dissatisfaction that the pressure is making us uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t like pressure either. A little bit might make me more productive but huge problems come along and I’m right there complaining about my lot in life too.
Not like Job. He was a man who believed in God, prayed daily for his family and lived uprightly. For a while, his life seemed too good to be true. Like a rock in a river, he had been soaking up His blessings and may have spent the rest of his life enjoying every one of them but along came some pressures, considerable pressures, and Job was squeezed. What came is a surprise.
Oh, he did complain. In fact, when someone wishes they had “the patience of Job,” I wonder if they ever read his story. I didn’t see much patience the first few times I read it. He was quite vocal about his situation, his discomfort, and his friends who were falsely accusing him. (They thought he must have sinned or he would not be having all those problems.) Yet in spite of all his groaning and moaning, God says we are to “consider the patience of Job.” What on earth could He mean?
When I am impatient, I try to change things or somehow control what is happening. While Job protested, he did not press for change. What he did do, in spite of his grief and protests, was make two or three remarkable statements. These utterances proved that he was NOT like a rock in a river — the blessings of God had sunk in and made him different from the average person, even the average Christian.
In his suffering, Job said: “. . . the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all of his losses, Job did not accuse God of doing wrong or complain that He had no right to take away a blessing.
He also said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Even though he was hurting, his faith remained strong. Who else could he trust in such difficult circumstances? He had lost his wealth, health and family; why lose faith too?
Another of Job’s responses to the squeeze was: “He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job knew that the pressure would (not could, would) make him a better person. He also knew God was not oblivious to his problems, nor was He simply observing and not caring. Even though Job insisted he was not being punished for any particular sin, he knew God was using this pressure to purify his life.
Job also said, “I know my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth, and after my skin is destroyed... in my flesh I shall see God.” Job knew that his friends’ accusations had once been true — he was guilty of sin — but he had a Living Redeemer who had forgiven him and who he would one day see face to face.
Job was no rock in a river but a sponge. He dismissed any notion that God would not or should not allow pressure in his life. God is God. He can do what He deems best. Job also had a unique perspective regarding the purpose of pressure — it was not just reason to cry out with requests for restored comfort. Instead it was an opportunity to pour forth the faith that was in him.
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Liars or Lovers? .............. Parables 258
(March 13, 1991)
“But I trusted you...”
Batted about by broken promises and countless betrayals, trust comes tough at times. People we relied on have let us down, sometimes more times than we can count. Most of us give up, we figure our limit has been reached. But has it? What is the maximum we can trust another person? Will anyone ever be so faithful as to never push us beyond that boundary? Besides, what is the foundation of trust? Is it the other person’s performance? Or some sort of a blind I-hope-he-keeps-his-word-this-time kind of trust?
Biblically, neither are what trust is all about. To understand, we must first understand the nature of man. God created us in His own image, thus people are capable of great good. However, the human race has disobeyed God and turned away from Him. We have all sinned and fallen short of His goal for us. Because of sin within, man is also capable of great evil. As we look at the world around us, we know both are true.
Because of that, the Bible says never to put our trust in people. That is, we are not to expect anyone to be 100% trustworthy, even those who appear to be. If we do, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. All are sinners, remember? So everyone will let us down, at one time or another.
But does that mean we must always be on guard, that no one can be trusted? Not exactly. Notice the words of the psalmist: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. We can trust God. (Ps.118:8)
When I first became a Christian, I did that, but my trust was based on a thought that God was like my earthly father and would give me what I wanted simply because I wanted it. It was painful to learn God is not like that, yet it felt good to learn He lovingly gives what is best for me. Did knowing His real nature change my trust in Him? Yes it did; trust was deepened.
The parallel is this: we tend to base our trust in others on what we want or expect from them instead of having a proper understanding of their nature. They may deliver and if they do, we tend to say “I trust you.” But if they don’t, we moan, “How can I ever trust you?”
Trusting someone based on their human performance is foolish. Performance is never 100%. We are sinners, remember? No matter how well intentioned anyone might be, his very nature determines that brand of trust will someday be disappointed.
Fortunately, God IS trustworthy because He loves us. He does not break promises, betray us or act out of keeping with our best interests. Those very qualities enable us to trust Him in a deep way (after we get over the idea that He will not spoil us or pamper us). But what do we do with people? How can we trust the untrustworthy? Or do we live our lives as sceptics?
I have been learning something in that regard. Trust is a by-product. The initial issue is love — not sentiment or romance but that deep commitment to care for the current and eternal well-being of another, no matter the personal cost. It is unconditional love, the love God has for us; He loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us while we were sinners. That love has no strings attached... but we can accept it or reject it.
When I accepted it, it became available to me as a resource for living. With His love I can love other people and His love perseveres, even if promises are broken or lies are told.
I don’t like being lied to. Neither does God. I don’t like it when someone says one thing and does another. Neither does God. I also don’t like it when I depend on another and they let me down. But God LOVES us anyway, even when we let Him down! His love is willing to give its all, regardless of the response, even if people walk all over it.
Let’s face it, even if we say “no” to lies, we have to eventually come to grips with the fact that people will lie or hurt us regardless of our decisions. No one is immune from being sinned against. If we are Christians, our responsibility is not to be liars who grieve and offend, but lovers who show the world how God responds to those who foolishly sin against Him.
“But I trusted you...”
Batted about by broken promises and countless betrayals, trust comes tough at times. People we relied on have let us down, sometimes more times than we can count. Most of us give up, we figure our limit has been reached. But has it? What is the maximum we can trust another person? Will anyone ever be so faithful as to never push us beyond that boundary? Besides, what is the foundation of trust? Is it the other person’s performance? Or some sort of a blind I-hope-he-keeps-his-word-this-time kind of trust?
Biblically, neither are what trust is all about. To understand, we must first understand the nature of man. God created us in His own image, thus people are capable of great good. However, the human race has disobeyed God and turned away from Him. We have all sinned and fallen short of His goal for us. Because of sin within, man is also capable of great evil. As we look at the world around us, we know both are true.
Because of that, the Bible says never to put our trust in people. That is, we are not to expect anyone to be 100% trustworthy, even those who appear to be. If we do, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. All are sinners, remember? So everyone will let us down, at one time or another.
But does that mean we must always be on guard, that no one can be trusted? Not exactly. Notice the words of the psalmist: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. We can trust God. (Ps.118:8)
When I first became a Christian, I did that, but my trust was based on a thought that God was like my earthly father and would give me what I wanted simply because I wanted it. It was painful to learn God is not like that, yet it felt good to learn He lovingly gives what is best for me. Did knowing His real nature change my trust in Him? Yes it did; trust was deepened.
The parallel is this: we tend to base our trust in others on what we want or expect from them instead of having a proper understanding of their nature. They may deliver and if they do, we tend to say “I trust you.” But if they don’t, we moan, “How can I ever trust you?”
Trusting someone based on their human performance is foolish. Performance is never 100%. We are sinners, remember? No matter how well intentioned anyone might be, his very nature determines that brand of trust will someday be disappointed.
Fortunately, God IS trustworthy because He loves us. He does not break promises, betray us or act out of keeping with our best interests. Those very qualities enable us to trust Him in a deep way (after we get over the idea that He will not spoil us or pamper us). But what do we do with people? How can we trust the untrustworthy? Or do we live our lives as sceptics?
I have been learning something in that regard. Trust is a by-product. The initial issue is love — not sentiment or romance but that deep commitment to care for the current and eternal well-being of another, no matter the personal cost. It is unconditional love, the love God has for us; He loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us while we were sinners. That love has no strings attached... but we can accept it or reject it.
When I accepted it, it became available to me as a resource for living. With His love I can love other people and His love perseveres, even if promises are broken or lies are told.
I don’t like being lied to. Neither does God. I don’t like it when someone says one thing and does another. Neither does God. I also don’t like it when I depend on another and they let me down. But God LOVES us anyway, even when we let Him down! His love is willing to give its all, regardless of the response, even if people walk all over it.
Let’s face it, even if we say “no” to lies, we have to eventually come to grips with the fact that people will lie or hurt us regardless of our decisions. No one is immune from being sinned against. If we are Christians, our responsibility is not to be liars who grieve and offend, but lovers who show the world how God responds to those who foolishly sin against Him.
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