Do you struggle to trust God with your dating life?
The LoveEd video above shares the key. Or read on below!
What If God Turns Out to Be Who You Believe Him to Be?
Do you remember Jesus’ parable of the servants who were each given talents before their Master departed on a long journey?
In that tale, we can learn something very important about the connection between trust, obedience, and delighting or abiding in God’s love.
For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. —Matthew 25:14-18 ESV
Two servants invested the talents they received. One hid them. What made the difference between those who took action and the one who did not?
Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ —Matthew 25:19-23 ESV
Not a lot of hints as to the motives of the industrious servants, but it’s clear they trusted the Master would deal fairly with them. And, in the end, He did even better. He dealt bountifully with them. Now let’s listen to the response of the third servant.
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ —Matthew 25:24-25 ESV
We could say a lot about the third servant—none of it good—but what is clear: he most certainly did not trust the master.
But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.’ —Matthew 25:26-27 ESV
Two servants believed the Master to be trustworthy, and the Master proved to be so … to them. One servant believed the Master to be hard—other translations say “difficult to please” or “unscrupulous”—and the Master proved to be so … to Him. However, we know from the first two servants that if the third had trusted the Master as well, His blessing awaited Him.
So who do you believe our Master to be?
Without faith it is impossible to please God! Will you trust Him?
Then you will obey Him like the two servants. And then you will rest in His love. You will “enter into the joy of the Master,” and you will be able to date in the delight of your first love!
The Secret to Trusting God
Do you want to trust God like the first two servants but just don’t feel like you can? Then you will find it almost impossible to obey God. Just like the third servant.
Who could blame you? We generally don’t obey people we don’t trust. Unless we think we have to, but then that’s obedience out of fear.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. —1 John 4:18-19 ESV
So how can you learn to trust God so you can obey Him? The very same way God has always encouraged His people to trust Him. He asks us to remember who He is and what He has done for us in the past. Actually, He commands us to remember. And sternly warns us not to forget.
And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. —Deuteronomy 6:10-13 ESV (emphasis mine)
We have even more reason than the Israelites to remember what God has done for us. He died for us! We have even more reason to remember how great our God is. He didn’t just demonstrate signs and wonders, He rose from the dead.
If you have followed God for some time, odds are there are personal ways He’s proven His love for you. Remember! Take the time to recall His mighty works in your life. Or…
Maybe you don’t yet have personal accounts of God’s faithfulness.
Not only is there the testimony of the scriptures, but there are the testimonies of the saints in the church today who declare our God reigns and is worthy of our trust and obedience! Then you can truly surrender your life to Him and obey Him. Even in your dating life. Especially in your dating life!
[The above post is an excerpt right from Date Like You Know What You’re Doing: Your DatePrep Guide. I wrote it to empower YOU to grow spiritually and date wisely so you can marry well. Check out the book and video curriculum here!]
