Public mistrust, the seeds of which have been sown by corrupt politicians and unethical businesses, has spread across society and into even our own hearts. When primed by the mention of “big business,” our answers to very simple T/F questions are tainted by doubt. We are not exempt. Yet, we have the antidote to trust-breakdown. We know the One who constructed a perfect universe, prior to the introduction of sin within it. We know the One who has never broken a promise. Since last week was about how to create or restore the trust of others (to us), this week’s post is more about our reactions to our justified mistrust in the institutions of the world, and how to restore our own trust.
Hebrews has much to say about faith. Recall months ago now, I began a discussion about faith being the currency of God. Faith is the medium through which transactions are made with God. Indeed.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. – Hebrews 11:6
Without faith it is impossible to please God. So then, let our love and our obedience and our patience and our kindness and our joy and our _______ (everything else!) be done in faith. What honors God tremendously? When we trust Him at His Word; when we believe He will do what He says He will do. Think about in the Old Testament – when God burned with anger at Israel. We often think about it in terms of the surface sin that they had committed. But God’s response is often about the fact that they didn’t trust Him (read: have faith in Him) to provide for their needs. Our sin comes down to a lack of faith. For instance, if you steal, you are really saying, “Sorry God, I don’t trust You to provide for my needs so I have to take for myself.”
Lying to someone → I don’t have faith that God loves me enough to satisfy my deepest desire for respect, so I must do whatever I can to protect my reputation.
Greed → I don’t have faith that God will satisfy me, so I must collect more money / stuff.
Lust → I don’t have faith in God to provide for my sexual needs in some way, so I must take for myself.
The list goes on and on. Faith in the future grace of God, then, is the antidote to mistrust.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. – Hebrews 11:1-3
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus gives us a little hope. We don’t even have to have tons of faith. We simply have to have the faith of a mustard seed to have Jedi-like powers and move mountains “from here to there” (okay, not literally). So, let us believe in the power of God to transform lives. It is the power of God that makes the world go round, and it is our faith in His power that gives us the ability to play an outsized role in His plans for this place. If you want your B4T to be in the center of the will of God, have faith in His future grace; not just for the big things, but for your everyday needs and for those of your business and family.
OPEN USA supports workers in the 10/40 Window, who are doing Business for Transformation. This author’s identifying information has been withheld due to security reasons. To learn more about OPEN USA and B4T, visit Find Yourself in B4T.