Unreliable. That is the best way I can describe the digital clock I have on the wall in my home office. I cannot trust this clock anymore as there have been too many times when for whatever reason it would be wrong. The clock might be three minutes slow or ten minutes slow. There is seemingly no reason for this clock to be unreliable. It just is. Now, for months it has worked well. But when I get up in the morning and go into my office, I check the time. Unfortunately, I still do not trust the clock. I always check my watch or my phone to see if the clock is accurate. I wonder how long the clock will remain accurate. I wonder if the clock does remain accurate, when will I totally trust it? Will this clock in my office always keep the reputation of being unreliable?
Do you know people who are unreliable? Perhaps they are usually on time and usually keep their commitments. Then, seemingly without a reason, they are late, or they do not keep their commitments. Perhaps they have said they would meet you somewhere, but they do not show up. Why is that? Why is a person usually reliable and then suddenly unreliable?
As Christians, we are taught to be reliable or faithful. In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Matthew shares the words of Jesus: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45). Jesus goes on to state the faithful servant will be rewarded. In the next chapter, Matthew 25, Matthew shares from the teachings of Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Throughout the Bible, we are taught to be reliable. We are taught to be careful with our words and as much as possible to fulfill what we have said. Christians are to have the reputation of being reliable.
We learn to be reliable or faithful from the example our Lord Jesus set and from the example our heavenly Father has given us. As we know, Jesus is totally reliable. What He said He would do, He does. When Jesus tells us that He will be with us always, we can trust His words. Therefore, we know that He is always with us. When our Father in Heaven states how He will take care of us, we know that He will. Everything that the Bible tells us about Jesus and our Father in heaven is reliable. We can safely build our lives on the reliability of Jesus and His Father. The Psalmist states: “Whatever He does is reliable and just” (Psalm 111:7, ISV).
The longer we follow Jesus, the more we are to be conformed into His likeness. Paul writes to the Roman church: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). Over time, as we study the life of Jesus and as we allow God to mold us, we will become more reliable, more faithful. Being reliable will become part of our being as we are conformed into the likeness of Jesus. We will learn to be more careful with our words, and we will strive to fulfill what we have said. Young people should strive to be trustworthy and reliable. They should also strive to be obedient to their parents because that is what children are commanded to do in the Bible. If you promise something to someone, you should strive to fulfill that promise. In relationships, you should totally trust each other. Paul, writing to his young friend Timothy, encouraged him to find reliable people: “The things you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people” (2 Timothy 2:2, NIV). In other words, the workers in the Kingdom of God are to be reliable people.
How long does it take to regain trust? As I sit in my office this afternoon, I look at my clock and I wonder when I will totally trust it again. It will be a long time before I regain total trust. As followers of Jesus, we need to be aware of the value of being reliable in all situations. We need to remember that once trust is lost, it is hard to regain trust. Let’s pray that God helps us to be reliable people. Let’s pray that others will always trust us, whether we are younger or older. We do not want the reputation of being unreliable, right?
Sieg Schuler, Calgary (CA)
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