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Trust: Key To Successful Living
The Trust Test – Part 1
Proverbs 3:1-10

Introduction: An Exciting Bike Ride

One of my friends from the gym left a few days ago to participate in a bike race from Cairo, Egypt to Capetown, South Africa—a distance of around 7,500 miles (give or take a few hundred miles). Gene has been talking about doing this for the past two years, but now he is really doing it. It is going to be one exciting bike ride.

This reminds me of a comparison between following Christ and a tandem bike ride. Listen to this description.

When I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike. And Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has never been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but it was predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew some delightful long cuts up mountains and through rocky places at break-neck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on. And even though it looked like madness, He said, “Pedal.” I was worried and anxious and I asked, “Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer. And that’s when I learned that I was going to have to trust Him.

I forgot my boring life and entered into every adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and just touch my hand. He took me to people with gifts that I needed—gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. He gave me gifts to take on my journey and off we went again. And he would say, “Give the gifts away. They’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to people we met, and I found that in giving, I received. The journey continued and our burden was light. I did not trust Him at first to take control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it, but He knows bike secrets. He knows how to make those sharp corners and how to jump clear off high rocks and do things I could’ve never done if I were in control.

And I’m learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places. I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful Companion, Jesus Christ. And when I’m not sure I can do it anymore, He smiles and says, “Just pedal.”

This bike ride isn’t Africa. It’s better. It’s the ride of a lifetime as we trust God to control us and guide us. During this first month of 2008 we have been discussing trust as the key to successful living. Our premise is: Trust is the single most important factor in any relationship—including our relationship with God. Every one of us comes to a place where we ask a very simple question, “Can I really trust God? Can I trust God with my life? Can I trust God with my future; with my family; with my job; with my health; with my possessions? I think every one of us comes to the place where we have to cross a line—or change seats—where we say either, “Yes, I do trust Him,” or we say, “No!” and hold on to control. This is the trust test line. It’s at this line where we can either grow spiritually by crossing it and saying, “Yes, I’m going to trust God,” or we can back away from that line and start to shrivel in our souls and never reach our potential as a child of God—a child of the King! It happens because we are unwilling to let God take control.

I’m intent on giving you some handles to hold on to so you can learn to trust God more completely. Today and next Sunday we are going to work our way through an acrostic as we take the trust test. Here’s a first quick look at the test.

T – Take An Inventory

We start by asking ourselves the bottom line question: Do I really trust God?

R – Recognize God As Our Source

We need to realize that everything we have right now is a gift from God.

U – Understand God’s Principles

Until we understand God’s principles we’re always going to hold back in our trust toward God.

S – Surrender Everything To God

            Once we understand the principles God has for us, all we have to do is surrender to Him and obey His will. In doing this we answer a second crucial question, “Can God trust me?”

T – Test God’s Promises

We need to look at God’s Word and test His promises, allowing God to prove Himself to us. This will build your faith!

With this brief overview, let’s begin.

Take An Inventory

David says it much better than I ever could in Psalm 139.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

Notice three observations about David’s inventory taking prayer.

1^st Observation: Only God Knows Everything About Me

            David invites God to search him—to look deep inside him—and know his heart. Why would he ask that? He does it because only God can help him to inventory what only God knows is in the deepest recesses of our hearts.

2^nd Observation: Only God Can Lead Me Correctly

            David knows the directions of his heart are naturally offensive to God because they are sinful. David’s desire is to have those offensive ways exposed so he can follow God on the path that leads to everlasting life.

3^rd Observation: Taking Inventory & Trusting God Begins With Me

            The issue begins with me. I have to do a personal assessment and ask, “How am I doing in the area of trust?” Our core passage in Proverbs 3 reveals just how personal this inventory needs to be. As I read, note the personal pronouns.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
      do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,
      and he will show you which path to take.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
      Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Then you will have healing for your body
      and strength for your bones.

Honor the Lord with your wealth
      and with the best part of everything you produce.

Then he will fill your barns with grain,
      and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Proverbs 3:5-10 NLT

Twelve times the personal pronoun is used. That’s powerful! The wise writer of Proverbs says all trust starts with a personal inventory. I need to take responsibility for doing my part. What happens? I do my part, and—you know the rest of the formula—God does His part.

Recognize God As Our Source

            Let’s look first at what God says.

Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

                                                                                                Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

We need to come to the place where we recognize God as the source of life. Recognize that He knows everything. There is nothing hidden from Him. He is sovereign.

I enjoy the humorous story of the mother telling her daughter a little bit about the facts of life as she came to the age where she was beginning to understand these things. The little girl was really shocked. When her mother finished the little girl asked, “Mom, does God know these things?”

God knows them all. He’s the source. You should also make note of the passage in Colossians 1:15-20. We aren’t going to read the passage now, but it’s worthy of your personal study.

Have you ever stopped to examine the parts of life that would be impossible without God being the source? Here’s a short starter list that tells us on our own,

·         We can’t choose our own natural hair color. (Matthew 5:36)

·         We can’t add a single hour to life. (Matthew 6:27)

·         We can’t save ourselves from disaster. (Acts 27:20)

·         We can’t count on tomorrow. (James 4:14)

It is reported that naturalist William Beavy was a close friend of and spent many evenings with Teddy Roosevelt. After they finished eating they would go outside to look at the stars. He would point to different areas and tell Roosevelt, “That’s a galaxy as large as the Milky Way. It consists of 100 billion suns. It’s one of 100 billion galaxies.” With that Roosevelt would grin and say, “Now, I think we’re small enough. Let’s go to bed.”

We benefit immensely when we understand that God is the source of all we have.

Understand God’s Principles

Before we look at five principles let’s pause first to consider three reasons why Christians don’t give more to God.

1^st Reason: They Don’t Think They Can Give And Meet Their Own Needs

This is understandable. When trusting God extends to how we use our financial resources many people will say, “I’m not sure that I can give and still take care of my family and meet the budget.” The idea of giving alarms them.

2^nd Reason: They Don’t Know How To Give

I learned giving from watching my parents. Hopefully our kids learned about giving from watching us. Many people never had that advantage. They can only look to God and His principles to decide what to do and how to do it.

3^rd Reason: They Don’t Plan To Give

Having no plan—often called a budget—they are always in emergency mode. In order to give, you have to have a plan.

Now, let’s look at the five principles.

1^st Principle: The Who’s In Charge Principle—God’s The Owner; I’m The Manager

This issue has to be settled where God is the owner and I’m the manager of what He entrusts to me.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.

Psalm 24:1 NLT

This includes you and me.

2^nd Principle: The Give & Grow Principle—Practicing Stewardship Produces Growth

Author Timothy Johnson makes this observation about stewardship.

Some say dedicate the heart and the money will follow, but our Lord put it the other way around. “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” If your treasure is dedicated, your heart will be dedicated. If it is not, it simply won’t. It is as simple as that.

Try this some time. Write a list of all the ways practicing good stewardship enables us to grow.

·         It helps us find our spiritual gifts

·         It increases our faith

·         It makes us more spiritually sensitive

·         It makes us fruitful

·         It results in God’s blessing

·         It makes us a blessing to others

·         It makes a lasting contribution

The formula is tried and true. When you give; you grow. We wrongly subscribe to the formula: when you grow; you give. The problem then is determining when we have grown enough to give. The greatest benefit from stewardship is spiritual growth. Being trained to give isn’t about raising money or increasing giving. Being faithful with what God has entrusted to us is about raising Christians and not raising money. Financial resources are the byproduct when Christians are faithful.

3^rd Principle: The Do It Now Principle—Stewardship Deals With Our Present Resources

Author Samuel Johnson challenges us,

The person who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything.

There may be some things that can wait until tomorrow, but when it comes to trusting and serving God we are wise to adopt the “do it now” principle. God wants us to maximize our present resources of talent, time and treasure by acting on them.

·         Do you clearly understand your SHAPE? If not, how long are you going to wait to identify and release it?

·         Do you clearly understand the opportunities you have to serve God? If not, how long are you going to wait to identify and release them?

·         Do you clearly understand the resources available to you to serve God? If not, how long are you going to wait to identify and release them?

There resides in all of us the roadblock called procrastination. We say, “I’ll do that next year,” or “I’ll wait until the timing is better.” The trust issue between us and God focuses on what we are doing with our present resources. Rather than waiting for the better, more convenient time, our determination must be to take what God has given us and use it now. That builds trust! As we are faithful with what we have been given, God will trust us with more.

Let me try to give this some perspective. I love the story about the wealthy man who was pushing a lucrative form of the prosperity gospel—that is lucrative for him. As he was in various cities for events he told about the time he was down to his last $20. When the offering plate came to him he reached into his pocket and put the entire $20 in the plate. Then, he became a multimillionaire. People loved his story. People would clap and he would encourage them to do the same thing.

He was in Toledo one day when one woman raised her hand. He looked at her and said, “Yes ma’am, do you have a question?” She said, “Yes, let me make sure I understand. You only had $20. You gave all $20 to God and He made you rich and famous?” “Yes,” he answered, “that’s exactly how it works.” She continued, “Just one more question then. Would you be willing to do the same thing again?”

She had a good question. Would he be willing to give the millions just as he had given the $20? Even though the amount of money given would be hugely different the percentages would work out the same. I’m sure he must have been thinking, “Holy Toledo. What do I do now?” It’s easy to go into spiritual cliché mode when talking about how God will provide if you will only give. Make sure you don’t miss this: God has already provided! The issue is never God’s provision. The issue is how we manage what God has already provided. Will I be faithful with what God has entrusted to me?

4^th Principle: The I’m In Debt Principle – The Moment We’re Born; We’re In Debt

Here’s one where we can all praise God because it’s really easy to go into debt. Actually, that’s not exactly what we’re talking about. This thought from Albert Schweitzer explains the idea behind this principle.

Whatever you have received more than others—in health, in talents, in ability, in success, in a pleasant childhood, in harmonious conditions of home life—all this you must not take yourself as a matter of course. In gratitude for your good fortune, you must render sacrifice of your own life for another life.

The renowned Schweitzer was simply affirming the same thought expressed by Paul centuries earlier to the church in Rome.

For I owe a great debt to you and to everyone else, both to civilized people and uncivilized alike; yes, to the educated and uneducated alike. So, to the fullest extent of my ability, I am ready to come also to you in Rome to preach God’s Good News.

                                                                                       Romans 1:14-15 Living Bible

Our indebtedness is two-fold.

We Are Indebted To God

For all the blessings of life, health and family we are indebted to God. James wrote,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

                                                                                                James 1:17 NIV

We Are Indebted To The Previous Generation

At first I thought this should be to previous generations but the treasure of the gospel is passed by one generation to the next. Those who immediately preceded us passed the gospel to us—just as we are hopefully passing it to those who will follow us. Many of the blessings we experience are the overflow of God’s goodness poured because of the faithfulness of those who preceded us.

One of the ministry highlights of my life was the celebration of 150 years of ministry by this church. When the previous pastors of this church dating back to the 1940s were here on that Sunday morning in the fall of 2006 I was humbled to realize I was now carrying the torch they had once carried. There were those who ministered from the former location downtown, those who trusted God for the move here and those who established and built the ministry in this location. As we have changed our church name and anticipate the possibility of relocating to set the stage for the next 50 years of ministry, we are indebted to those pastors and people who preceded us. Hopefully, as we trust God, those who follow us will be able to say the same thing.

5^th Principle: The Fountain Of Youth Principle – We Live Forever Through Our Giving

Jesus said,

Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

                                                                                                Luke 17:33 NIV           

Someone else said it this way.

We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.

                                                                                                Douglas Lawson

A wise pundit observes, “You never see a hearse with a luggage rack.” Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th President of the United States, said,

No enterprise can exist for itself alone. It ministers to some great need, it performs some great service, not for itself, but for others; or failing therein it ceases to be profitable and ceases to exist.

                                                                                                John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

If I hear any candidate for president say something close to this, I will vote for that person. Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Always remember: We live forever through our giving.

Conclusion: The Joy Of Kingdom Vision

One of the things I love about this church is its kingdom vision. We aren’t in this for ourselves. We are here to honor God and bless others. We saw that yesterday during the Great St. Cloud Give-Away. Our Annual Meeting is next Sunday when we will celebrate what God has done during this past year and anticipate what lies ahead as we follow the ministry path He has for us. In February a group of us will assist our friend Mike Silva in The Dominican Republic. Every week there are faithful people who teach children, lead adults, arrange worship services and coordinate the many ministries of this church. You are not a sit-in-the-pew and talk things to death church. You are people of faith-motivated action. I praise God for you and invite you to return next week for part 2 of The Faith Test.