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Tuesday Morning Epistles
Welcome to "Tuesday Mornings," a source of encouragement
and inspiration designed for Christians everywhere.
I have a friend who wrote the book on frugality. He
believed that printing on one side of a piece of
computer paper was being wasteful. So, when he was
finished printing a document on his computer, he turned
over any extra sheets and printed on the blank side. It
was frugal, but was it wise? What if the document he
printed off contained personal information that some
identity thief could use for stealing personal
information from him? What if data experts at the CIA
were to treat "Top Secret" documents this way? An old
saying comes to mind: "Penny wise but pound foolish."
This week's theme is "trust." Trust is certainly part of
our everyday lives, but trust must be used with
discretion. We don't trust everyone with everything we
own or use or know. We lock our cars when we park them
on the street or in the driveway at night. We lock our
homes when we leave them or retire for the night. Some
of us even purchase security devices to protect our
homes and vehicles beyond the standard locking systems.
We install security devices on our computers. We use pin
numbers to access our data from our checking accounts.
We have spam blockers to restrict suspicious email from
being opened on our computers. Retail establishments
often ask for supporting photo identification when
completing transactions that involve the use of a credit
card. Trusting without using common sense makes no sense
at all.
Is trusting God any different than trusting people in
our lives that we believe to be trustworthy? Should we
put trust in God ahead of trusting people? Why is it so
hard for some people to place their trust in God? What
does the Bible mean when it says, "Trust in the Lord
with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding? In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths"?
"Trust" is the title of this week's "Tuesday
Morning." Continue reading below whenever you are ready.
Then prepare to notch up your trust in God today and for
the remainder of the week. Don't count on your own
knowledge or experience or emotions to deal with the
heavy things that may come your way. Dial up Heaven's
Number at the same time you dial 9-11. Consult the Lord
in all of your negotiations this week. Then—are you
ready for this?—there is a promise for you.
"He shall direct your paths." Solomon
wrote it, but God said it. It's a promise you can trust.
You will love the quote attributed to Augustine at the
bottom of the attachment.
Some of you followed my advice and forwarded last week's
epistle to friends you knew that needed encouragement. I
have heard from some of them. Thanks for the referrals.
Why not do it again this week? Do you know someone who
is struggling over their trust in God? Forward this to
them. It may change their focus. You might be
responsible for saving their lives. That's got to be
worth more than the blank side of a once-used sheet of
computer paper.
Blessings on you wherever you go this week! The Lord
told me to tell you that.
Tom Barnard
Better with Age
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Trust Tom Barnard
e referred to himself as “The Great Blondin,” the first tightrope-walker to cross the Niagara Falls. He did this first in 1835. His name was Jean Francois Gravelot, a French aerialist. What brought fame to him was not only his ability to cross the Falls on a wire, but to do other things at the same time—like crossing it blindfolded. People who perform such stunts successfully have learned what it means to trust. When I think about these dangerous endeavors, I think of Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Why is it so hard for people to trust in God? Here are a couple of reasons people typically give.
“I have tried to trust God before, and it has never worked out.” “I can’t trust anything that I cannot see or touch or hear.”
Let’s talk about trust. What do we know about it?
Trust is part of everyday life. We all trust something or someone every day of our lives. We trust grocery stores to offer us unspoiled and uninfected meats and vegetables. We trust the labels on bottles and cans to be accurate. We trust pharmaceutical companies to manufacture drugs that meet federal specifications. We trust judges to understand the law and to interpret it fairly and consistently.
We trust people because they have proven their trustworthiness. Who are the people that have earned the most respect and trust from you? Your parents…Your spouse…Your siblings…Your children…Your pastor…Your best friend…Your counselor…Your business partner…Your CPA…Your surgeon?
Do you trust God more than you trust any of these people? (“Yes” is a good answer.)
Let’s look at the four divisions of this passage and ask ourselves, “How does this apply to me?”
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”
“Lean not on your own understanding.”
“In all your ways acknowledge Him.”
“And He shall direct your paths.”
“Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s Providence.” Aurelius Augustine |