Who CanYou Trust?

Psalms 119:151 (NASB)

151 You are near, O Lord,

And all Your commandments are truth.

Psalms 119:160 (NASB)

160 The sum of Your word is truth,

And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

In these days in which we live, it seems impossible to even consider that truth is unchanging. That someone exists who will always act according to his word and that that word will always stand.

Today is the day of small print. Fake news. Different philosophies going by different rules. Gone are the days of “you can take that to the bank," handshakes and a man of his word.

One of the things listed in Proverbs as an abomination is a false balance.

Proverbs 11:1 (NASB)

1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

But a just weight is His delight.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NASB)

16 There are six things which the Lord hates,

Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood,

18 A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that run rapidly to evil,

19 A false witness who utters lies,

And one who spreads strife among brothers.

In the book, Peace Child by Don Richardson, a story is told of a tribe who valued treachery and deception, and the missionary had a very difficult time convincing them that Judas was not the hero of the story.

Today, in the business world, the word “shrewd” has come to mean something entirely different than it once meant. Shrewd has come to mean crafty, which carries the connotation of dishonesty. Have any of you gotten that phone call or text saying, “I’m getting back to you about that matter we discussed last week, “ when no such discussion ever took place? Or have you received an envelope that on the outside appears to be a government refund check but in actuality is just a come-on to some product? And now some Christian ministries are using the same ploys to get you to open the envelope! All of these are deceptive, and we know that deception is from the other side of the fence.

Proverbs 3:32 (NASB)

32 For the devious are an abomination to the Lord;

But He is intimate with the upright.

Psalms 119:36 (NASB)

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies

And not to dishonest gain.

When we lived in Poland and worked in the former Soviet Union, we encountered many people who lied and cheated the government and anyone they felt had wronged them. They felt they were justified because of what they had suffered at the hands of the communists.

Today, we are having all kinds of civil unrest because the people feel justified by what they are hearing coming out of Washington-from both sides of the aisle.

Because my livelihood does not depend on what a politician promises he/she will do for me but on what God’s Word promises me, I can be at peace. If I am not dependent on God as Jehovah Jireh, then my life feels threatened and it is easy to feel justified in railing against and striking out. I want to be on the side of truth and so I put my faith in where I know I can always find truth.

When I stopped teaching in the public school system, I returned to the high school one day to visit some friends. Almost everyone at the school knew that I had gone into full time ministry but there was one teacher who did not know me but knew that I had become a missionary and Bible teacher.

He asked me this question. He said, “We know that there are many good books in print today and they are written by fine, religious people. How do you know that they are not on the same par as the Bible?”

“You are a teacher, sir,” I asked? “Do you give tests to your students? And how do you determine if their answers are correct?” “I have an answer key which gives me the right answers,” he said.

“Well, the Bible is the key for life. I compare the other books I read to the Bible to determine if they are from God.”

Today, in our society, the Bible is considered by many to be an old, irrelevant piece of literature. We are inundated by religious philosophies that deceive us and lead us down different, dangerous paths. We must return to the Bible, the ancient ways which leads to life everlasting,

Jeremiah 6:16 (NASB)

16 Thus says the Lord,

“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,

Where the good way is, and walk in it;

And you will find rest for your souls.