Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts

Friday 28 May 2021

What about trusting our brother or sister

In this month's issue of Christadelphian Tidings Dave Jennings looks at Bro. Anthony Higginson who shared some helpful thoughts about trust and wrote

 “Trust is the optimism of faith. Trust is a risk, a venture, an adventure. It has in it an element of inspiration. It is not blind, blundering chance. Faith, after all, is not an ignorant assumption— the right name for that is superstition. Faith is intelligent trust. Faith and trust in God are the true antidotes to fear. It lifts us out of the dust and places us by the side of God. It fills our soul with hope and peace.” { Higginson, Anthony. “Blessed is the Man: Trust in God.” The Christadelphian Magazine, vol. 111 (1974): 442}

Dave Jennings writes:

Trusting in God is one thing. We know we can count on the righteousness of God. He never forsakes those who love Him, and He always keeps His promises. But what about trusting our brother or sister? What empowers trusting our brother or sister is a willingness to be vulnerable.
All people should come to know that God is the One Who can at all times be trusted. This cannot be said about man. Though we also should come to a position where we can trust someone around us and have that trust not be ashamed.

Those around us should also have enough reason to trust us.

When we want others to trust us, we must begin by being transparent about what we are committing to and then follow through with our behaviour.

 

Read more about Trust in the 2021 May issue of Christadelphian Tidings about Trust.


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Find also:

Whom can we trust to govern us?

Friday 5 November 2010

How should we react against the world

First of all let me say that there are different opinions on the matter how we may be involved in the affairs of the world. I personally find that we may not be  unaware, unconsious, insensitive and should try to help where we can.

when I look in my mailbox I become bombarded with loads of requests to join many causes. Can we take part in those causes which seem to us to reflect some of the things we believe or were we can stand behind? Are we limited how far we can go and which organization we may trust and help. - I think so.

What is your opinion?

This month's survey question:

Should we participate in protest movements?

Yes! How else will we change the world?
No! God will change the world, not us!
Yes but cautiously and non-violently.
Christianity is irrelevant to real world issues.
Don't know.

Go to http://thisisyourbible.com/ to bring out this months vote.
The Bible Answer to Revolution and Human Rights

Friday 27 August 2010

A call easy to understand




"'Follow me' said the King.
The call is so simple any child can understand it.
Its meaning is so sublime that no philosopher, be he ever so clever, can exhaust the infinite meaning of the mystery — its genius.
It is not misery — it is joy.
It is not doubt — it is conviction.
It is not fear — it is blessed assurance.
Disciples are bond servants, but also friends who know their Master’s will. They are not dragging themselves along reluctantly hoping that their misery may win them some reward. They follow gladly for love’s sake, trusting that because he lives, they will live also.

The genius of discipleship — the transformation — touches every aspect of life.
Being called, conviction, trust, surrender, purity, peace, prayer, service."

- Dennis Gillett
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The New Man
The Genius of Discipleship


Nederlandse versie / Dutch version > Een te begrijpen oproep
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2013 update:
You Don't Understand Me
You Don't Understand Me (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Friday 14 May 2010

Suffering redemptive because Jesus redeemed us from sin

surrendersacrifice has posted a new topic entitled "Why is suffering redemptive?" in forum "General Theology" on Bible Truth.

Suffering is redemptive because Jesus redeemed us from sin through His suffering.  Jesus invites us to join Him in His redemptive work by allowing us to enter into His suffering (which we encounter while doing His work) (Colossians 1:24).  Therefore, to be worthy of Christ we must deny our self, take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 10:38 & 16:24; Mark 8:34; & Luke 9:23 and 14:27). Even the personal sufferings we encounter in life when suffered with faith in Christ (which means that we believe that God will bring out of our suffering) is redeeming because it produces endurance, character and hope (Romans 5:2-3); enables us to overcome sin; and enables us to share in His life (1Peter 4:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:19-21).  Suffering makes us humble; humility teaches us to rely on God; and reliance God frees us of selfishness (which is the cause of all sins). Quite often we are afraid of suffering, however we must remember that Jesus will lighten our burden (if we trust Him) (Matthew 11:30); and that the sufferings of the present is nothing compared to the glory that awaits those who trust Him (Romans 8:18).

Thursday 11 March 2010

Trust the future to God


“Let the future not agitate you. You will meet it,
and if you must with the same weapons of reasoning
with which you arm yourself today against the present.”
 - Marcus Aurelius

"The future is something, which everyone reaches
at the rate of sixty minutes an hour,
whatever he does, whoever he is."
- C. S. Lewis

“Be never frightened to trust an unknown future to a well-known god."
 - Corrie ten Boom

"Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders,
making the most of the time."
Colossians 4:5

“Continue buying out for yourselves the appointed time, because these days are wicked.”
Ephesians 5:16

God, make me competently for this time to endure and full good courage to look out to the Day of the Lord.

Dutch version / Nederlandstalige versie > Vertrouw de toekomst aan God toe

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Whom can we trust to govern us?

This month's survey question:
Whom can we trust to govern us?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

- There are some good politicians but they are the exception
- All politicians are unreliable and cannot be trusted
- We can only REALLY trust the Lord Jesus Christ when he rules in the Kingdom of God.
- We should implicitly trust our elected politicians
- Don't know.

Go to www.thisisyourbible.com to submit your answer!

If you look around you can find people that you think you do best not to tell too much and others where you could tell your deepest secrets.
What about your living conditions and for the future that lays in front of you? You might think that there are politicians you can rely on or not trust. Or maybe you think that no one in politics is to be trusted. You think that they are slime balls or still do those things they find important to them. Or that they do not keep to their word.

If you think politics is nonsense perhaps you can ask whether you should be engaged. But as a Christian you can examine to what extent we agree with our politicians or may have to attend to it.
You may wonder whether we actually need to vote or whether we can join a political party or even go further and imagine us to come forward as a candidate?
In the world so many things that happen there are plenty of events or things we want to resist to. But to what extent we can resist against the chest punching things? Can we join reactive groups or join a group demonstration? Which are groups we would consider valuable to join and which not worthy or even wrong to join?

What we also need to ask is how it is about the obligations of the country where we live or are citizens from.
I think you must obey laws of that country if they do not go against the will of God. And nowhere has God forbidden voting. If it is required to vote, as in Belgium you should keep to that commitment. (Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar) How you vote is up to your conscience. This is not to imply that you would not think that God is the only one who can solve everything.

Because we believe that it will ultimately be Jesus Christ that will bring the world order in its place, and give the start to the most complete and accurate Kingdom. The Kingdom of God will have the best management and is the only way to give full happiness.

Dutch version >

Monday 29 June 2009

When discouraged facing opposition


It can be easy to become discouraged when facing opposition in our ministry. Here are a couple of things which can help:

Knowing that the opposition we may face in relation to sharing Bible truths means that we are on the right track:
"You will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my [Jesus'] name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)
"If they have persecuted me [Jesus], they will persecute you also." (John 15:20)

Jesus and many other faithful ones of Jehovah have suffered far worse than mere harsh words. But when you think of it, what can Man do to us?

"And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Ge·henìna." (Mt. 10:28)
"Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens." (Matthew 5:10-12)


What moves one to share Bible truths? Someone once said, "Preaching merely out of obligation becomes burdensome in time." If our motivation is the natural desire to share the wonderful, life-saving knowledge that we have learned with others, then it doesn't become burdensome at all.  Love for God is a primary reason why we share in the ministry, and truly being like Jesus includes being moved by compassion to preach and teach. (Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus' loving compassion for people was a key motivation for his sharing the good news with them:
"Well, on getting out, he saw a great crowd, but he was moved with pity for them, because they were as sheep without a shepherd. And he started to teach them many things." (Mark 6:34)
"But the crowds, getting to know it, followed him. And he received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure." (Luke 9:11)
"This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3) 

Here are some scriptures that have helped me with discouragement in the past:

"Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let YOUR petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard YOUR hearts and YOUR mental powers by means of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6,7)
"Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight." (Prov. 3:5,6)

"Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter." (Psalm 55:22)
"Those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power." (Isaiah 40:31)

Thursday 26 February 2009

The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON
(Written by Jason Cook)

There is a time in a person’s life when there are many questions to be asked but few answers to be given. This is what can make life so difficult. The only way to find true peace is by seeking God. He has the answers which we truly desire which will enable us to have peace within our whole being. The Bible clearly states in Deut. 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Verse 6 also goes on to say “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Verse 7 again says “You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.”

  God can do many things for us if He is our true life. 1 Cor. 1:26: “For you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” For we all have a calling but it is by the hand of God and not by the hand of the world, for the world is so caught up in its cunningness and its desirable ways that we do not see what is right from wrong except through the word of God. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen and heard speaking to our hearts and to our minds to give us courage to be able to carry on with the things that surround us.

  Even before time began God has been there. Time is a wonderful thing to have but it is how we spend our time and what energy we put in to it that matters; “a time to love a time to cry, a time to rejoice and a time to celebrate.” One thing we must spend time with is the Word of God. There are many times when God is in effect put on the shelf and left closed like a dusty old book forgotten about. But to realize who He is and what He truly stands for and what He is all about is light and love and pure strength.
 
Psa. 27:14 says “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
  Waiting can be one of the hardest things to overcome because that is the way of human nature and the flesh. Waiting with patience is the one thing we must all learn to have and some have more than others which is a blessing.
  Jam. 1:4: But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. God has the power to give us all that we need. Not always what we want, but with the time and patience that He gives us, later He may even give us some of our wants. The trust that we show to the Lord can come in many ways. One way is how we live our lives, asking God to help us with the things that we are to face each day, week, month and year. Another way is to talk to others about the wonderful hope that the Lord gives us if we trust in Him with all our heart. One of the first commandments was “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength,” and to “seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.”

 We are all influenced by many things in this life that we live. There are so many things that can encourage us but there are so many things that can prevent us from moving forward from the past and going forward into the future. We can either choose to be in the dark or we can be covered by the glory of the Lord.


 Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Rom. 9:23: “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had prepared beforehand for glory.” To really realise that we have a God that watches us and waits for us to be able to call on His name whenever He is needed, is a pretty powerful thing to behold, for the power of God cannot and will never be able to be comprehended except by reading His word. By doing so we can truly know who God is which is truth in itself. Truth can be a painful thing when we are not prepared for it. But we must all deal with these things when we are faced with the thought that we could or might be wrong. We must all come to the conclusion that there is only one true thing for us and that is the Lord thy God who has the power over all things. He is in control of all the beasts that walk the earth, all the creatures that swim in the ocean and the birds which fly in the heavens. From the insects to the air we breathe, the sun which heats our planet to the love which surrounds us and our family.

 We live a life which we are totally in control of in deciding which path we should lead and how we should be living it. By reading the Word of God it can give us strength and hope with the promise God has given us of the gift of life eternal through the lord Jesus Christ. Through his salvation we can be saved from the darkness and turn it into light to move forward strengthening our faith and our belief in what we feel is necessary for the  hope that God has in store for us. Hoping for this we can always depend upon His love and kindness.
  Psa. 116:1-2: “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”
  Psa. 116:8-9: “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” When we walk with the Lord it is not an easy thing to do as we have seen. Looking around us we see how dangerous the world really is. The flesh in itself finds it nice to the eye but so evil in its content and what it represents. There are so many nice things in the world that appeal to the flesh and take us away from God but with it there comes a price - the price of sin and death. This is one thing we truly do not desire to have, but that is up to each person’s responsibility in how they live their lives. Each person has his or her own responsibility to make their own choice whether right or wrong. My choice is our almighty God.

  When you try to think of the many ways God has intervened in our lives it is amazing. He has provided food and shelter and we have our families which give us strength. But most importantly we have His love all around us. We represent God and the truth that He stands for and all the goodness that is in His son Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour who is the light of the world. He sits at the right hand of power which is the everlasting Father God almighty. We have all been called in some small way by God and there are many ways by which we are called.

  1 Pet. 5:5-11: “Likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary human nature walks about you like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist your nature, be steadfast in the faith and know that the same sufferings are experienced by your brothers and sisters in this world. But may the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. To God be the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen.

  There is a saying “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” The same goes that “you can lead a man to God but only he can get his salvation.”
  Ps. 3:8: “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing upon Your people.”
  2 Cor. 6:2: “For God says in an acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
  Heb. 2:3: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”
  Psa. 68:20: “Our God is the God of salvation. And to the Lord belongs escape from death.”

  We all try to the best of our ability to live under God’s law and His guidance by reading His Word and studying with willingness. By having a hunger for the Word of God to truly know who God is and to know that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is not a god of wood or stone; not a god we cannot hear or cannot see, but a God who loves us and cares for us and accepts us for who we are, not what we are. Praise His almighty name for He is a God of the living, not the dead.

  Thank you Father for being in our lives and showing us the path to life - not to destruction. We want to live Lord, we all want to live.
  We desire oh Majesty that we might live by Your decree Amen.

Monday 9 February 2009

Looking forward to God's faithfulness

"When we look back at the faithfulness of God,
we praise Him.
When we look forward to God's faithfulness,
we trust Him."
- Ken Watters

"Yet this I call to mind and
therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
Lamentations 3:21-24

I am so pleased that I can trust the faithfulness
of you my Creator.
On you and your son my hope is placed
and I am thankful that such an unimportant person as me
can be saved and be chosen to become
a participant of a new creation,
the coming Kingdom of God.
Dutch version / Nederlands > Vooruitkijkend naar Gods getrouwheid

Thursday 29 January 2009

Give your tears to God

"We can give our tears to God because He is our COMFORTER
Our disappointments because He is our CONFIDENCE
Our pains because He is our HEALER
Our stress because He is our PEACE
Our heaviness because He is our JOY"
- Roy Lessin

"Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to the grave,
but lower we cannot sink, and out of the lowest of all we shall arise to the highest of all."
- C.H. Spurgeon

"Often the clouds of sorrow
reveal the sunshine of His face."
- Hilys Jasper

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him."
Psalm 126:5-6

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand."
Psalms 37:23-24

"Therefore, having been justified by FAITH,
We have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…
And REJOICE in the HOPE of the GLORY of GOD."
Romans 5:1-2

Comfort me, heal me, give me strength and confidence.
Give that I grow everyday and come closer to you,
finding peace and joy,
in Jesus name, Amen..

Dutch version / Nederlands > Geef je tranen aan God
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2013 update:
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