| Here’s How to Become a Trustworthy Person |
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| By Rick Warren — May 30, 2015 |
“Many people claim to be loyal, but it is hard to find a trustworthy person.” (Proverbs 20:6 NCV)
Trust is the emotional glue that draws you closer to your friends, your family, and your small group. Without trust, you’re never going to have the intimate relationship that God wants you to have. Teamwork without trust is impossible.
Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many people claim to be loyal, but it is hard to find a trustworthy person” (NCV). That was written thousands of years ago, and yet we have the same dilemma today: Who do you trust? How do you find a trustworthy person? More importantly, how do you become a trustworthy person so that people trust you?
- You earn people’s trust by being consistent. The Bible says in Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (NIV). Today everybody wants to serve God in the obvious and showy ways. But God says you build trust by being faithful in little things. Even when no one is watching you, God is. He sees what you’re doing. And he says that if you’re faithful in little things, he will give you greater and greater responsibility.
- You earn people’s trust by being confidential. People trust you when you can keep a secret. One of the rules for our small groups at Saddleback Church is that what is said in the group stays in the group. Your group trusts you to keep private whatever they share. Proverbs11:13 says, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”
- You earn people’s trust by being close. You have to spend time with people in order to earn their trust. The Bible says, “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble” (Proverbs 17:17 MSG). That implies proximity. Distance creates distrust. You don’t trust people you don’t know! So if you want people to trust you, you’ve got to spend time with them. Time creates trust.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
- What will you do this week to show God that you can be faithful in the small things?
- Why is it so hard to keep a secret? What is the motivation behind gossip?
- What sacrifices will you have to make so that you can spend time with people and earn their trust?
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Today’s Scripture |
In Mark, chapter five, there was a woman who had been sick for twelve years. The doctors gave her no hope. When she heard that Jesus was coming through her town, something deep on the inside said to her, “This is your season. This is your time to get well.” In the natural, when she saw all the people around Him, she thought, “I’ll never get to Him. It’s so crowded and I’m weak. I just don’t think I can do this.” She almost missed her season. But instead of dwelling on those negative thoughts, she started reminding herself, “If I can just get to Jesus, I will be whole.” She made the choice to turn her thoughts in the right direction. She kept pressing her way through the crowd until she got just close enough to Jesus to reach out and touch the edge of His robe. Instantly, she was made whole. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”
Notice it’s our faith that activates God’s power. If you’ve been standing and belieivng for a while, don’t give up! Press through! Keep praying! Keep asking! Keep seeking, and He’ll meet your faith with His miraculous power!
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