Trust is a fragile thing

2 Corinthians 1:12-14

This morning in my time with the Lord I was reading in Psalm 19, verses 13 &14, became my prayer for my friend Paul who God has given many gifts and responsibilities and for myself.  These were the words of those two verses I prayed back to the LORD, “Who can discern his errors?  Declare me innocent from hidden faults.  Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.” 

As I turned to 2 Corinthians 12 and read through verse 14, it is important for each of us who follow Jesus to have a testimony of simplicity and godly sincerity, but not by worldly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward each other.  And I believe the apostle Paul often prayed for others and He also prayed for himself in verses like I prayed this morning.  For the biggest con job I’ve ever seen is the one where I believe I’m on the spot, all is well with my soul and that the Father is totally pleased with my thoughts and actions.

It has always been easier to see the shortcomings of another brother or sister than to discern the errors in my own life.  I believe the Psalmist is calling that our hidden faults, they may happen because we are not under the authority of Scripture and the teaching of a person who rightly handles the Word of God.  Now with it comes presumptuous sins, those are willful sins where one knows not to do so but wants what they want at that moment.  Those sins are very dangerous and will only lead to the breaking of fellowship with God and others.

Before one enters into willful sins they always test the water, it may begin with a little voice, she sure looks and acts better that my wife or he looks and acts better than my husband, and what is wrong with a little flirting, and in one's mind the battle has already begun and most often you have entered into darkness, into willful sin.  Willful sin happens in all kinds of ways; one is in the workplace where we use our time in a manner that steals from our employer, or you take supplies home knowing you will use them for personal use and not what the employer intended them for.

As a follower of Christ, we are to be His ambassadors to the world without hope and as teachers and encouragers to others in the faith, it’s called trust, we are building trust with one another.  Two quotes that address trust; “Trust is like an eraser it gets smaller and smaller after every mistake.”  “Trust is a fragile thing.  Easy to break, easy to lose and one of the hardest things to get back.”

The false teacher that had come to the churches at Corinth after Paul had left.  It was designed by the enemy of their souls to cause a trust issue in the relationship between Paul and the churches at Corinth, and it did.  His letter we refer to as 2 Corinthians was meant to help return the two parties to a relationship of oneness.

Paul is making sure that the church understood that it was not by human effort but by the grace of God, and so all boasting should be in God and His grace.  So as you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, remember these words, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice