“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

I usually write about resolutions and goal setting in January, but I almost always begin thinking about this process about now. I am a planner by nature, and I love to have goals to work toward. As I look to the Bible for guidance, I am compelled by the passage above that whatever my goals, seeking first the kingdom should be my first and foremost goal. Which brings me to a big question: How do I press on toward this goal?

Here are five objectives that are worthy of working toward in our efforts to reach the goal:

1. Trust
2. Wisdom
3. Love
4. Joy
5. Unity

This Chaplain’s Corner will focus on #1: Trust. Trust in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is foundational to the Christian faith. In fact, “In God We Trust” is the official motto of the United States of America. But do we?

What do we mean by “trust?” For our purposes, this concept shares some meaning with faith, belief, hope, and surrender. When we trust someone, we have faith in them, we believe them, we hope in them, and we surrender our well-being to them. Or perhaps it’s the reciprocal: when someone trusts us, they have faith in us, they believe us, they hope in us, and surrender their well-being to us. Sometimes trust must be earned. Sometimes, it is there until it is lost by a negative behavior.

Another way to define trust is to consider its opposite: distrust. Why would you distrust someone? Because they don’t do what they say they will do, either because of lying or just not being dependable. One must have character and competence. One without the other just doesn’t work. Also, we distrust someone who doesn’t have our backs; perhaps they have ulterior motives, or just are not concerned for our best interest. When you are relying on someone with something that is important to you, for example, a medical professional, a legal professional, or someone responsible for the care and education of your children, you must be able to trust them.

The Good News is that the most important person in our lives is Christ. In Him we place all our hope, faith, and belief for our eternal lives. And he is entirely worthy of our trust. We can rest in Him, confident that he is willing and able (he has character and competence) to save us. He has our backs. In Him we have our rest.

So how do we exhibit trust? How do we work toward the objective of trust?

1. We continually remind ourselves and reinforce our knowledge of His Goodness by reading His Word.
2. We develop our relationship with Him by praying to him and thanking Him for his Goodness.
3. We go to Him with our needs and refuse to worry about our circumstances, knowing that he has promised to prosper us and not to harm us.  
4. We let go of our hurts, forgiving others, and resolving to live in peace with other; trusting the LORD to avenge and make everything right.

Over and over in the Bible we are admonished not to trust in kings or other men, but instead to trust in the Lord. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

Let us encourage each other as we commit to growing in how we live out our trust in the LORD.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5