Recently LIFE International staff discussed the subject of trust as central to our relationships globally. We concluded that a great way to describe this aspect of our ministry was the statement , “The primary currency we ‘trade’ in is TRUST”. The trust relationship is founded and built upon our relationship first with God.
Trust between Man and God was what was broken when Adam and Eve believed the serpent rather than God. Since that time until Christ died on the cross there has been a continuous breaking down of trust. A breakdown of trust between brother and brother, father and son, and man and woman. Jesus came to restore the relationship between man and God – in doing so he prepared the way for trust to be restored. Thru Christ it is possible to establish and enjoy a trust relationship between people, family members, co-workers and ministries even though great harm has been experienced in these relationships in the past. This is the transforming power of the message of the cross.
For example, the most profound harm caused by a man or woman’s choice to abort –outside of the death of the child – is the violation and subsequent loss of trust. The choice to abort is a lack of trust in the sovereignty of God and his decision to give life to an individual in the womb. It reflects a lack of trust in God’s capacity for goodness, provision and protection. After an abortion, the person intuitively understands that they have violated this trust – but ultimately start believing Satans lies and begin to view God as being untrustworthy.
For a man, abortion is a betrayal of his innermost self. A man’s choice to subvert his God given mandate to provide and protect his own child in order to flee responsibility informs their own spirit as to their own lack of trustworthiness. For a woman, she has violated the God given expectation of her child to receive her protection and nurturing and her failure to fulfill this role shatters her trust in herself to choose the honorable and good going forward.
To those who seek to minister in life-giving ministries, we must first show ourselves to be trustworthy before the message we seek to bring can be received, contextualized and integrated by those we serve. In our posture, our message, our interactions, we must humble ourselves, reflect the character of God who made himself like a servant, and show ourselves trustworthy.
In order to receive trust from others, LIFE International must establish a strong relationship with our God first. We must establish a culture of trust based on our relationship Christ before we focus our efforts with others. We must stay the course through failure and success, joy and sorrow in relationships formed. We must keep our promises, protect God’s reputation, and put people ahead of tasks. We must take the time to enjoy those whose lives we celebrate. By virtue of these behaviors, postures, and communication, we will prove ourselves trustworthy. And trust is the currency in which we trade.
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