God is building His very character in the minds and hearts of the people He has called today. He wants His children to be able to think, plan, design, create and travel through the universe as He does—“like Father, like son.” “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
God is preparing for a utopian future with many sons—kingly ones! He will give us tremendous responsibility, and immense power to carry it out.
But before God will give us such power, He must be able to have complete trust that we will never abuse it. For ages He has been dealing with the wreckage caused by Lucifer’s rebellion. He must ensure that such a disaster is never repeated! His Family is going to perfectly implement His way of love, productivity, happiness, cooperation and peace forever.
If you are to be part of that future, it is critical that you be perfectly trustworthy!
Of course, only when we are spirit beings will we be completely free of sin. But growing in and demonstrating trustworthiness before God is essential to fulfill our calling. We must be growing in this character trait today if we are to be great leaders in the future.
God Is Completely Trustworthy
“Good connections are built on trust,” wrote family counselor Jim Priest. “Some people have a family trust. They go to a lawyer to create a legal document that would protect family assets. It’s great to have a family trust. But, greater still, to have trust in your family. … Trust is the basis of all good relationships” (Oklahoman, April 22, 2019; emphasis added).
To trust someone is to believe in his reliability. God the Father is totally reliable. His word is 100 percent sure! His every word is truth (John 17:17). How marvelous will it be when our every word is the same!
Few things are impossible for Almighty God, but lying is one of them (Hebrews 6:18). God has set His will not to lie. Lying is the opposite of His character. This should have a tremendous impact on the way we live.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). We should desire to be this way in all our thoughts and actions.
God says, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David” (Psalm 89:34-35). Verses 24 and 33 speak of His faithfulness. God promises: “His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me” (verse 36). This promise meant a lot to King David and, by extension, to us as sons of Zadok, especially in this time of the new throne of David! When God makes this or any other promise or statement, we can and should and must totally trust Him!
We must totally trust God or we can’t do the job He has given us. Jeremiah was tested in his prophetic commission with David’s throne. That experience was his opportunity to learn total trust in God (article, page 10).
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19; English Standard Version). What a difference there is between God and human beings!
God’s history with His chosen people, Israel, shows His complete reliability. But time and again, the most constant Beings in the universe have been disappointed by His chosen people. Consider the hurt we feel when a close friend or confidante lets us down, and multiply that exponentially!
God keeps every promise, fulfills every word, abides by every resolution, carries out every decision He makes. He doesn’t forget, back out, falter or fail. That is the example He wants us to follow. “Look unto me,” He says,“for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return …” (Isaiah 45:22-23).
What a blessing that God is this way! If we couldn’t depend on Him or His promises, we would have no basis for our faith. If God said it, He will do it. We can “live by every word” He says; He doesn’t utter a single word in vain!
“God is trustworthy,” Herbert W. Armstrong said on a World Tomorrow radio broadcast titled “Hebrews 11 and Faith.” “And when God has promised to do something, can you trust Him? Now, I know God is no liar. And I know God is able. And I know God is trustworthy. And I can place confidence in Him.”
He continued, “He tells us not to place our confidence in men. Because men are likely to disappoint you.” Few live as long as Mr. Armstrong did and even fewer have spent time with as many people, especially people of high rank and influence around the world. He met with around 500 world leaders! More time and more people add up to more opportunities to be disappointed by men.
But Mr. Armstrong also learned how to trust God as few other men ever have.
We can trust God! He has proved Himself beyond any doubt. We must continually ask not if we can trust God, but if God can trust us!
How Trustworthy Are You?
“What is your word worth?” Mr. Armstrong asked on that broadcast. “When I find a man whose word is not trustworthy and that he misrepresents—maybe he thinks it’s just a white lie, or maybe he thinks that, well, it would hurt my feelings to know something so he’s careful to guard the truth and sort of misrepresent a little bit and lead me to believe something different. Now, when I find it out, I don’t have confidence in that man anymore. A man whose word is absolutely true and you can depend on it; a man who is dependable; and if he’s going to do a thing he says he will or promises, you know he’ll keep his word: Now, there’s a man you can trust. And how much is that worth? But when a man begins to lie, and you’ve caught him in a lie two or three times, I don’t think there is any worse sin than that. Because, if you’ve found that he’s lied two or three times, he’s willing to lie, then you never know when to believe him. You can’t have any confidence in such a man. None whatsoever. Trustworthiness—there is nothing more important in your character than that.” What wise words from a man of godly character!
If you promise something, do you follow through and do it, no matter how difficult or inconvenient? Can others depend on you? We are all human and forget from time to time, letting others down. We especially tend to let down those closest to us that we have more contact with, those we might presume will be more forgiving.
Faithfulness is a rare trait in today’s society; it is tough for many to commit to someone or something. But if we keep our promises to the best of our ability—if we strive to be reliable always—then we will become known for honesty and consistency, someone to lean on as a solid pillar.
“Trust is something that is earned,” Andrew Locher wrote in the January-February 1998 Royal Vision. “Bearing godly fruit over a sustained period of time makes us trustworthy to others. If we want our relationships to deepen, both parties must have confidence in the relationship. By living the give way of life, others learn to trust us because they know our motivation is not self-centered. Trust comes as result of outpouring love and concern for one another.”
The more of God’s character you exhibit, the firmer will be the foundation for others to trust you. “The world is full of people who are out to get and who offend others repeatedly. That’s why living unselfishly places us at such a clear advantage when it comes to building relationships that last—relationships based upon trust. Don’t wait for the other person to act. That’s selfish! Be the first one to give to your brother. Go out of your way to sacrifice for him. And see if that doesn’t draw others to you; others you can trust and who will trust you. Going out of your way to be a loving friend will attract friends who stick closer than a brother(Proverbs 18:24). Now that’s a relationship based on trust!” (ibid).
Peter Buffet, son of businessman Warren Buffett (the third-wealthiest person in the world), said: “The things that allowed me to feel safe and trusting as a kid had nothing to do with money or material advantages. It didn’t matter how big our house was; it mattered that there was love in it. It didn’t matter if our neighborhood was wealthy or otherwise; it mattered that neighbors talked to each other, looked out for one another. The kindnesses that allowed me to trust in people and in the basic goodness of the world could not be measured in dollars; they were paid for, rather, in hugs and ice cream cones and help with homework.”
You and I can trust in a much better family: the Family of God. That starts with our Father, and should increasingly include all of us. As Jeremiah wrote, “[W]ith my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness …. [T]hy faithfulness shalt thou establish …” (Psalm 89:1-2). Hopefully we are known for this characteristic, even in the tiniest of areas!
‘Men Who Are Trustworthy’
When God brought Israel out of Egypt and established it as a nation, Moses was suddenly laden with considerable executive responsibility. His father-in-law advised him, “Moreover choose able men from all the people, such as fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe; and place such men over the people …” (Exodus 18:21; Revised Standard Version). To fulfill this leadership role, these men first had to fear God, then to have proven themselves trustworthy.
Moses reminded the Israelites of this history in Deuteronomy 1:9-18, reiterating that those men had to be wise and impartial in judgment. He didn’t favor the strong or handsome or wealthy; he looked for character. Could they be trusted with that job?
In spiritual Israel today, God is looking for men and women He can trust. Respect and fidelity are among the highest qualities of character God values in His children. Possess those qualities, and you will stand before God and be blessed! “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth …”(Psalm 15:1-2).
The members of God’s Church—virtually one of a city and two of a family today—are called to marry Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 3:14; Revelation 19:7). Our submission to our Husband is reflected in our trust in His every single word. Believing God is putting His way of life into action in our lives. We show God that He can trust us by being doers of God’s Word.
“[W]hen Jesus Christ gives a command or instructions to you through His Word or through this very Work of God—as you prove it in the Bible—do you realize that God’s laws and instructions always work out right? That you can and should have total faith in living by them? That God stands behind them and backs them up? That whenever you have realized or proved that any command or instruction comes from God you should learn to automatically say: ‘Yes, sir!’ and do what your Creator instructs?” (Plain Truth, February 1966).
We need to focus our minds on important things, including truth and honesty (Philippians 4:8). Our righteous thoughts need to become our inspiring, encouraging and uplifting words. Those words need to translate into our beneficial and fruitful actions. We must live and breathe truth and honesty, even as both virtues expire in Satan’s society. Imagine the World Tomorrow when such conduct won’t be the exception, but the rule!
What truly matters is how much we are becoming like God. When we are Christ’s Bride for eternity, we will think and act as He does. That means we must make ourselves ready today!
In the end, God will give this magnificent reward to those to whom He can say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:21, 23). That should highly motivate us to be faithful to God, trustworthy in even the smallest matters!
Think about the many great responsibilities God has given us and is expecting from us even today. That shows that He already trusts us, that we’ll finish His Work—and He is giving us opportunities to grow in this trait even more.
What big projects is He preparing us for after our warning commission is complete? We should be motivated to live up to His expectations of us and be unified as a trustworthy people—the very elect, firstfruits of God, privileged to be at headquarters in Jerusalem! Our profession is striving to overcome, qualifying for the high offices God is preparing for us. We don’t want to let God down!
We are being prepared to rule with Jesus Christ. Now is the time to prove our trustworthiness. God has done His part. We must do ours—and invest in our God Family trust!