Can God trust you?

This message is very straight forward. We have enough experience in life to recognize this simple wisdom. If we cannot be trusted in small things, how can others trust us with matters of great import? Honest people are those who have shown that they can be trusted in both the small and the great things. The job of our prayer lives is to look directly into our own souls and to reflect on which of these we are.

There is nothing more important to us personally than to be able to trust those around us, especially those closest to us. But that is true for them too. They need us to be trustworthy. That is just the natural calculus of relationships. It is the economy of love that we are talking about here. The fact is that we find our purpose and our meaning in our relationships. And we are social animals. We all need the honest generosity of others, not just to live, but to live well. And that is exactly what others need from us.

This passage is directed at the core of our freedom as children made in the image and likeness of God. We are absolutely and forever free to choose to live in accord with our God-given nature, or to abuse it, or to defy it. There is a clear distinction between truth and lies. Aristotle was once asked if he could prove that there is such a thing as truth. His answer was crystal clear. He argued that everyone, as a matter of common sense, understands truth and falsity “because everyone knows how to lie.” To say “is” when you internally know “is not”, or vice versa, is to tell a lie. A liar is one who does this more than not. A dishonest person is one who willfully acts in opposition to the truth, or who purposefully uses or manipulates others for his or her own selfish purposes. Luke’s words here are cautionary to us all.

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As Christians we are to live in, for, and by the truth as we have come to know it in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is the one we are to emulate, the one we are to honor by living truthfully in all that we say and do. As believers, we strive to be honest and truthful persons to all. We are to recognize the lie and to avoid it. We are to turn away from any dishonesty within our own lives by bending our wills to the will of the One who is all truth, all goodness and all beauty. In the light of our intelligence we can see the wisdom of this. It is not hard to understand. But we also know how weak we are. We cannot do this alone. We need God’s grace, and the loving challenge of those that are nearest and dearest to us. We are also to be the loving force of challenge to others when they fall into dishonest behaviors. That is how God wants to work in and through us in our lives.

Lord, help us to be honestly self-reflective. Give us the courage to turn away from any habits within us that are not honest. We want to be people who live your truth in all that we do. There is no life outside of you. We want to be children of light in this often dark world. We trust in your love, Lord. And we give you thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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