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Love and Trust
Love and trust are the basis of all deep and personal relationships we humans sustain. Whether in marriage, family, or just the kind of friendship that is as close as family, love and trust are the foundational components of the relationship. If love “makes the world go ‘round,” then trust allows us the security of being able to depend on its sustained revolutions. Obviously then, trust is just as vital as love to every significant relationship we sustain- perhaps even more so. Think about it….
Many people marry for “love,” and hope trust develops in the relationship. That’s backwards for a simple reason: You can decide and commit to loving someone whether they reciprocate it or not; but, trust demands their involvement in that they have to be trustworthy for you to believe and hope in them. Trust should, therefore, precede even love in the development of a relationship, because it is more dependent on the other person. Put in other words: You can decide to and learn to love someone whom you trust, but you cannot decide and learn to trust someone who is untrustworthy just because you love him/her- at least not without detrimental consequences. As a society, if we would consider marrying people we trust, and then choose and decide to love them, it would work out a lot better than trying to trust people just because we love them. But, the importance of trust and love in relationships is not limited to marriage. Trying to be close personal friends with someone you can’t or don’t trust likewise has disastrous consequences attached. And certainly, there are innumerable family relationships that are ruined because lies have destroyed the ability to trust, though love is still abundantly present. All of which proves that although love may indeed “make the world go ‘round,” trust has to be the axis on which it hangs and spins!
Now, all of that was somewhat of a foundational introduction to get to this: “Any close and personal relationship we hope to sustain with God must be founded and operated on the same basis of trust and love.” Though God certainly loved us when we were untrustworthy and unlovable, cf. Romans 5:8, our efforts to have a relationship with Him are founded in His eminent trustworthiness and magnanimous love for us. However, if God loved us but was not worthy of our trust, He wouldn’t be a good God, and we couldn’t depend on Him. Thankfully, such is not the case. Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18 tells us that God “cannot lie,” and that in fact, it is “impossible” for Him to do so. Not only is it impossible for God to lie to us, He is utterly dependable with regard to every aspect of His love and provision for us- He wants and does nothing but what is best for us. He has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” to enable us to escape “the corruption that is in the world,” 2Peter 1:3-4. He disciplines us “for our good, that we may share His holiness,” Hebrews 12:10. And, He even provides for our physical needs and wants by doing “good” and giving us “rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness,” Acts 14:17. All of which is lasting testimony to not only His love for us, but also to His complete trustworthiness!
But alas, relationships have two sides. What about our part of this “personal relationship” with God that is supposed to characterize our Christianity? Just saying that we “love God” isn’t any more sufficient grounds for this relationship than it was for any of the others we’ve considered. There has to be trust here also for a sustainable and pleasing relationship to exist. So, the big question becomes: “Can God trust you?” Do you lie to God? Are you dependable and worthy of His trust? Certainly, none of us can hope to reciprocate God’s love and trustworthiness in equal measure- and I’m not even remotely suggesting such. But, the truth remains that if we desire a “close and personal relationship” with God, we must give diligence to fulfilling, as best we can, our responsibilities to the foundations of such a bond. This means we must not only love, but endeavor to be lovable- “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him,” John 15:23. It also means that we must not only trust, but strive to be trustworthy- “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life,” Revelation 2:10 (KJV). Think about these things, and please make whatever changes are needed in your relationship with God. He’s already doing His part!
- Love_and_Trust.pdf (74.09 kB)
