Where do you put your trust?
by Pastor Mathew Ker
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Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:17).
I have barracked for the Mighty Richmond Tigers since I first moved to Victoria, aged 10, in 1977. It is hard to imagine, but many other people support other football teams, codes, or even interests other than sports. That’s the freedom we have as individuals. Differences like this help create a diverse and interesting community.
We may have the freedom to follow and express our different preferences in our daily lives, but St Paul is very clear about where we must put our trust. We are to flee from idolatry. Martin Luther described what it means to have a god or idol: ‘A god means that from which we are to expect all good and in which we are to take refuge in all distress’.
Our senses are bombarded constantly with messages that imply our lives would be so much better and more fulfilling if only we used this product or if we followed this advice or avoided these foods. Put your trust in this product to give you less grey hair, lose weight, gain financial security, or be a little bit happier – the devil is trying to shift our attention from Christ alone to anything else that captures our interest, even if it is for a moment.
In most instances, the products or experiences offered are harmless in themselves. Things that support healthy and growing relationships can be received as good gifts from the one true God. This puts everything in the correct order, whereby we put our trust in God alone and receive from him all the experiences that make us unique in our own way.
Binding us together is the one body and blood of Jesus Christ. Joined together through receiving Jesus’ body and blood is where we experience true unity. This unity is an exclusive gift, however. We are called to put our trust in Jesus Christ alone. Paul warns that we cannot drink from both the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
Whoever you barrack for, or whatever your interests may be, enjoy these as God’s gifts to you. But put your trust in the Triune God, who is the giver of all that is good, especially this gift of eternal life.
Heavenly Father, thank you for binding us into the true unity of Jesus through his body and blood. Help us value the gifts you provide, using them to build up relationships with those around us. Amen.
Mathew is married to Sonja, and they are in the process of moving from the Barossa Valley in South Australia to Tabor in Western Victoria. They are blessed to have two adult sons, one married, but, as yet, no grandchildren. Mathew enjoys gardening, cycling, writing letters, and sharing adventures with Sonja.
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