“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26
Trust is a fairly basic concept as it rests solely on confidence. That confidence relies on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of some entity or object. In contrast, what we consider valuable in our lives and how much we fear losing those things varies from person to person due to maturity, faith, relationships, life experiences, etc. Another contrast between the two is the impact on our well-being. Trust provides calm, healing and peace while fear brings distraction, stress and destruction. Fear comes in varying degrees and for various reasons but consider the following factors of fear: the object, the measurement, the security and the trustee.
The Object
Our lives are full of things that we treasure. At the top of the list are: our assets (possessions and/wealth), relationships, jobs or careers, power and influence, health, and faith. Assets give us a sense of security, relationships provide support, jobs generate income, power and influence boost our sense of self-worth, health yields freedom to live as desired, and true faith affords eternal security. When in plenty and properly ranked in our personal system of valuation, they provide a balanced life style and allow the provisions of one to cover the loss another, e.g. job loss for one who is wealthy arouses little fear while the same situation for one who is poor is another matter. Our fear of loss with respect to these things is directly related to how we rank them in order of importance as well as the supply that we have. In order to eliminate that fear, we need to focus on three concepts from scripture. Our first concern should be our eternal reward which is secured by the shed blood of Christ. When we seek God, live to serve Him and maintain a healthy relationship with Him, there is no need to fear. Our health, our lives and the lives of those we love are in God’s hands. By living for His glory, trusting in His plan, enjoying the loving relationships in this life, accepting His comfort in times of loss and looking forward to reunion in heaven for those who die in Christ are the means by which we cast out the fear of loss of life. Finally, everything else comes from God and belongs to God; we are merely His stewards. David’s prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 29 is an excellent reminder of this fact. Understanding that human souls are our primary concern and all else is secondary, we eliminate much of the fear, stress and worry from our lives.
The Measurement
As an accountant, I appreciate the value of measurement. For example, an IRA provides little comfort for the future if one doesn’t know the value of what has been invested; similarly the ability to pay bills is hampered without knowing how much money is available to pay them. Whether or not we realize it, all day long we monitor the things that matter to us. When we get in our car, we subconsciously register that nobody has taken or destroyed it; when we return home and all of our belongings are there, we feel secure; a trip to the doctor reveals how healthy we are; etc. The less tangible an asset is, the harder it is to monitor. As humans, the least tangible item is our eternal reward. We don’t get a balance sheet from God detailing what is waiting for us and we can’t evaluate it with our senses. Consequently, while we may acknowledge that this is our most important possession, the inability to monitor it often leads to placing greater emphasis on those things that we can monitor and, therefore, have a greater fear of losing. That’s why Christ reminds us in Matthew 16:26 to keep our principal focus on our souls rather than the things that we enjoy in this life. It’s a matter of faith over sight and takes a conscious effort. (Hebrews 11:1)
The Security
What we value, we protect. How much energy we put into that security reveals what is most important to us. We care for our loved ones. Most of us keep our homes locked. We would not put our money in a bank that had no vault or locked doors. All of the banking and securities laws are to provide confidence that our financial resources are safeguarded. Yet we often get lax about our soul care. Again, Christ reminds us that “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33-34) By putting effort into our eternal treasure which is secure, we live for our Lord, trust in His provision and are freed from the fear of losing our earthly assets.
The Trustee
In choosing a trustee, the primary qualities to consider are ability, integrity and wisdom. The ultimate source of our fear is that on some level we recognize how little we can actually control, how frequently our faith/integrity wanes and how finite our wisdom is. These factors make us awful candidates for ultimate command of our lives. Thankfully, as Christians, we have put our trust in God alone. We have done so because He has the integrity, ability and wisdom to perfectly manage all of the aspects of our lives. We have done so because He has profoundly demonstrated His love for us and promises to supply all of our needs. He is the only one worthy of our complete faith and trust. However, that is where this analogy breaks down as we live to serve Him rather than the other way around.
Trust and Fear
As Alexander MacLaren put it, “Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation. He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust.” Yes we may be apprehensive about things as a natural response to the various trials of life, but ultimately we must trust God just as Daniel did in the lions’ den, his three friends as they faced entering the fiery furnace or any martyr facing their end. To that end, Paul reminds in Hebrews 13:6 “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’” No matter what loss we face or what challenge that confronts us, our trust in God casts out our fear of the end result and relies on God’s grace to help us endure.
Faith in Action
This week as the leader of our church’s Chinese ministry led our communion service, he spoke of his recent trip to China to visit family. They told him that their congregation can no longer meet together as the landlord is feeling pressure from the government and will no longer rent them the space. Further, as they meet in homes, they must be careful to arrive at different times. However, they continue to meet because their primary concern is to serve and worship the Lord. As a result they do not take their faith for granted. It is a call to us to not only pray for those persecuted for their faith in God, but to also never take for granted our ability to worship together.
Surely God is your salvation; trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is your strength and your song; He has become your salvation.”
Will