Life Principle #11

One of the great ironies of sitcoms is the simple fact that they rely on disastrous relationships.  "I Love Lucy" was an excellent example of that point.  While I enjoyed it and did my share of laughing at Lucy and her all antics, I found myself mentally shouting, "Just tell Ricky the truth!"  Every episode was based on lies and deception, and in the real world, no relationship could survive the distrust that would generate.
Principle # 11 is "A LIFE THAT COUNTS IS A LIFE THAT VALUES TRUST."  Trust is a beautiful word, concept, and principle.  It is the heart of who we are and who we love!  Those we don't trust, or who don't trust us, are not in our circle of people we keep close.  It's not hard to illustrate trust in the stories of the Bible.  We see trust in God when Abraham was told by God to leave his home, when Noah was told to build an ark, when Joseph was told to wait, when Moses was told to go back to Egypt, and when Elijah was told to confront the King and the Prophets of Baal - just to name a few.  We also see it in the apostles as Jesus called them to leave home, families, and jobs, and when he had them feed the multitude, cast nets on the other side of their boat, gather a coin from a fish, and when he sent them out with his limited commission and the Great Commission - again, to just name a few.
There are three ways to think about trust:
1.  Trust is a character quality!
    A. We are born trusting parents:
    B. We learn the importance of trustworthiness = true, loyal, dependable, honest, & responsible.
    C. Trust is what keeps us consistent and authentic (1 Cor.4:1-2)
2.  Trust is a relationship essential!
    A. All relationships start, grow, and are built on trust.  "It is a fragile crystal of life's relationships."
    B. Once damaged or broken they are hard to restore!  Only God sees hearts.  (i.e. David)
    C. Family, friends, church families, leadership, fellow workers, and God, all required trust.
3.  Trust is faith!
    A. The difference between intellectual belief and a relationship is trust.
    B. Abraham & Isaac show us that faith is a journey of trust!
    C. Jesus call on us to trust him - John 14:1-6   Trust is depending on God! (Prov.3:5)
Conclusion:  Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego in Dan.3 show trust in God, even if he decided not to rescue them from the fiery furnace!  Ps.56:3-4 &11 "In God I will trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?"