Trusting the Lord

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
(Ephesians 5:15-16)

How come "Time with Jesus" includes trusting the Lord since there is a whole category focused on "Trusts in Jesus"? It might not be obvious to us at first, but if we look closely, we can see that what we do with our time has a lot to do with where we place our trust. Consider the following examples. Would we spend time banking with a bank we do not trust? Would we allow our children to spend time with a person we do not trust? Trust can be seen in where and how we spend the time we have. Thus, it seems fair to say that there is an underlying sense of trust with everything we do.

In regard to growing into a mature Christian, how we spend our time reflects where we place our trust. It reflects on the person in whom we place our trust. If we say we love God and that our faith is in God, but we don't trust God to guide and direct us regarding the time that we have available, then our claim of love and faith is questionable. If we say we love Jesus and trust Jesus, then our time will be spent with Jesus and in serving Jesus. Time and trust go together.

A mature Christian and gone through a shift regarding time. Outside of Christ we thought time belonged to us, and since we trusted ourselves, we used our time however we wanted. But being in Christ we now have a completely different perspective. We trust Christ, having learned that our time is a gift which can be used for the glory of God. Our time is viewed from an eternal perspective and we make use of it for eternal purposes.

Growth towards Christian maturity

Trusting Myself

Before we come to know Christ, where do we spend our time? We spend it on ourselves. To whom do we turn to in order to decide who we will spend our time? We turn to ourselves. Some might argue that our school, our job, our friends and family, or a host of other external entities determine or even control how we spend our time. But the truth is that ultimately, we decide how we use our time by the mere fact that we show up to school or work, that we spend time with family and friends, or are even involved in a host of other activities that demand our time. In fact, that is sometimes who we describe the way we allocate our time, that there are demands on our time. But in the final analysis, we are the ones determining how we use our time. And that determination is based on our trusting that we have or are properly evaluating what is best for us. For example, let's say we are going to school. We trust that we have chosen the best school to give us the education we are looking for. Certainly we trust that the school will deliver, but we have trusted our evaluation of the school. We also trust that we can complete the classes. They may not be easy, but we trust that we will make it through. If our trust in ourselves were to disappear, we would quit school. Our trust is placed in ourselves and thus we use our time in pursing what we believe to be best for us. Granted, that we do trust other people and even organizations, but we place ultimate trust in ourselves.

Steps toward Trusting

It is in our being exposed to the gospel message of Christ that we really begin to be challenged regarding the placement of ultimate trust in ourselves. Most likely, we will not hear the gospel in terms of ultimate trust, and if we do, it probably will not connect at a conscious level, but it is there. The message of salvation and eternal life is grounded in the issue of trust. Will we trust that the gospel message is truly the word of God and that God will do what the message says He will do? Can we believe the message? Can we trust it? Without realizing it, wrestling with the message of the gospel includes a battle over whom we will ultimately trust and thus whom we will trust to direct our lives, our time. Thus, when we take the time to hear and understand the gospel, we are at the very least trusting that it is worth considering. Some people never take the time to listen to the gospel or understand what it is saying. For whatever reason, they are not willing to sacrifice or invest the time it takes to listen and consider. But a person on the road to becoming a mature Christian is one who does take the time and comes to the point of placing their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only for the time remaining in this life, but for the promise given regarding time eternal. Thus, there is a connection between time and trust regarding our eternal salvation. The changes that begin to take place in us and in how we spend our time stem from there being a slight shift in our trust from ourselves to the Lord. We probably will not recognize it or think of it in such terms, but it is there.

Learning to Trust

As we grow in our knowledge and love of Christ, our trust in Jesus is likewise increasing. Step by step we are learning to walk with Christ on a daily basis. We are learning to trust Him as we spend time with him. We are learning to and desiring to spend time with him as our trust in him grows. It is in our growing in Christ that deep within we are slowly shifting the source of our ultimate trust from ourselves to him. This is most evident in how we spend our time. The ways in which we had spent our time in the past no longer appeal to us. We probably wouldn't describe it terms of trust, though we might describe it in terms of not being worth our time. Yet, deep within, we don't believe that what we used to spend our time doing is in our best interest anymore, nor does it bring glory to God or lead people to follow Christ. The way we use our time is shifting because our trust is shifting from ourselves to Jesus. For those who continue to mature in Christ, there comes a point of complete surrender to Christ. A point in which we are confronted with the question of where our ultimate trust in going to reside. Will it remain within our control, or will we surrender it to the control of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Will we trust God completely? Will God have ultimate say in how we live out the remaining days of our lives, the time we have left here on this earth? The mature Christians are those of us who will completely surrender to the Lord. Ultimate authority regarding our time belongs to the Lord. We have been learning to trust and take that step of complete trust regarding all we are or had hoped to be.

Completely Trustworthy

From the point of complete surrender on, we live our lives completely trusting Christ. We will continue to learn what that looks like in all areas of our life. There may be seasons or situations in which it is very challenging. Nevertheless, we have resolved the issue once and for all, our lives, thus our time and everything that goes with it, belongs to the Lord. We trust the Lord completely because we recognize that the Lord is completely trustworthy. No are not tempted by the serpent in the garden who suggests that we cannot trust God. We know we can trust Him and we do. It shows in the decisions we make, which are carried out in how we use our time. Our ultimate trust is in the Lord and not in ourselves. Our time is His to do with as He pleases. He does not change us from the person he fashioned us to be. If anything, we are now truly living as the person he intended us to be when he formed us.