It Matters Whom We Trust (10 min.) | Midweek Meetings July 13-19 - Jw Talk — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:03Those who put their trust in Jehovah
2. 0:05will flourish.
3. 0:07>> Welcome to Treasures from God's Word.
4. 0:09Join us as [music] we explore the riches
5. 0:11of the Bible. It matters whom we trust.
6. 0:14Please don't forget to subscribe.
7. 0:17Brothers and sisters, every day of our
8. 0:19lives we place [music] trust in
9. 0:21something or someone. We trust that the
10. 0:23food we eat will nourish us.
11. 0:25>> [music]
12. 0:25>> We trust that a bridge will support our
13. 0:27weight. We trust that a driver will obey
14. 0:30traffic laws. Trust is part of life. In
15. 0:33fact, it is impossible to live without
16. 0:35trusting something. [music]
17. 0:36But there is one question that is far
18. 0:38more important than any other. Whom do
19. 0:40we trust when it comes to the direction
20. 0:42of our lives?
21. 0:44The answer to that question affects not
22. 0:46only our present happiness, but also our
23. 0:48future relationship with Jehovah. Our
24. 0:51theme today is, it matters whom we
25. 0:54trust.
26. 0:55The scriptures clearly show that those
27. 0:57who put their trust [music] in mere
28. 0:59humans displease Jehovah, that they will
29. 1:02experience a difficult and disappointing
30. 1:04way of life, but that those who trust in
31. 1:07Jehovah will flourish and enjoy genuine
32. 1:10success.
33. 1:11Let us begin by considering why trusting
34. 1:14in humans can be dangerous.
35. 1:16Isaiah 31:2 describes a situation in
36. 1:19which Jehovah's people sought protection
37. 1:21and guidance from human sources [music]
38. 1:23instead of relying on him.
39. 1:25They made plans, but not according to
40. 1:28Jehovah's direction. They sought
41. 1:30security, [music]
42. 1:31but not from Jehovah.
43. 1:33They believed that human alliances and
44. 1:35human wisdom could provide what only
45. 1:37Jehovah could provide.
46. 1:39How did Jehovah view that attitude? He
47. 1:41was displeased. [music]
48. 1:43Why? Because trust is a form of worship.
49. 1:46The one in whom we place our ultimate
50. 1:48confidence becomes the one upon whom we
51. 1:50truly depend.
52. 1:52Jehovah knows that humans are limited.
53. 1:54>> [music]
54. 1:54>> He knows that no human can perfectly
55. 1:56guide another person. He knows that
56. 1:59human wisdom, while sometimes useful, is
57. 2:01incomplete [music]
58. 2:02and often flawed. Therefore, when a
59. 2:05person chooses to place greater
60. 2:06confidence in human thinking than in
61. 2:08Jehovah's guidance, that person is
62. 2:10making a serious [music] mistake.
63. 2:12Jeremiah 17:5 reinforces this lesson.
64. 2:16>> [music]
65. 2:16>> It says, "Cursed is the man who puts his
66. 2:19trust in mere humans, who relies on
67. 2:22human strength, and whose heart turns
68. 2:24away from Jehovah."
69. 2:26Notice that the problem is not simply
70. 2:28[music] trusting another human being.
71. 2:30The real issue is that the person's
72. 2:32heart turns away from Jehovah.
73. 2:34Instead of looking [music] first to
74. 2:35Jehovah for guidance, comfort, and
75. 2:37security, he places his confidence
76. 2:40elsewhere.
77. 2:41This can happen gradually. A person may
78. 2:43begin to rely more on popular opinions
79. 2:45[music] than on scriptural principles.
80. 2:47He may place more confidence in worldly
81. 2:50experts than in Jehovah's wisdom.
82. 2:52>> [music]
83. 2:52>> He may become more concerned with
84. 2:54pleasing people than with pleasing God.
85. 2:56Before long, his heart begins drifting
86. 2:59away from Jehovah.
87. 3:01The lesson for us is clear.
88. 3:02Jehovah wants our complete trust. He
89. 3:05deserves our complete trust because,
90. 3:07unlike humans, he never makes mistakes,
91. 3:10never breaks his promises, and never
92. 3:12fails those who rely on him.
93. 3:15The second point we want to consider is
94. 3:17that those who trust in mere humans will
95. 3:19have a hard life.
96. 3:20Jeremiah 17:6 [music] uses a vivid
97. 3:23illustration. It compares such a person
98. 3:26to a tree in the desert.
99. 3:28The Hebrew term used there appears to
100. 3:30refer to a dwarf juniper, a shrub-like
101. 3:33tree that grows in dry, rocky wilderness
102. 3:35regions.
103. 3:37Imagine such a tree. It stands alone.
104. 3:40>> [music]
105. 3:40>> It is surrounded by barren land. It
106. 3:42struggles to find moisture. It appears
107. 3:45dry and unattractive. It survives, but
108. 3:48it does not thrive. Its environment
109. 3:50constantly works [music] against it.
110. 3:53That illustration perfectly describes
111. 3:55what happens when a person turns away
112. 3:56from Jehovah. At first, he may appear
113. 3:59successful. He may have resources,
114. 4:01opportunities, or human support. Yet,
115. 4:04inwardly, he lacks [music] the
116. 4:05life-giving nourishment that comes from
117. 4:07a close relationship with Jehovah. His
118. 4:10spiritual life becomes dry. His joy
119. 4:13begins to fade. [music] His peace
120. 4:15diminishes. When difficulties arise, he
121. 4:18has little strength to endure them. The
122. 4:20world often encourages people to trust
123. 4:22in themselves. It says, "Believe in
124. 4:25yourself. Follow your heart. Depend on
125. 4:28your own wisdom."
126. 4:29But, human history proves that such
127. 4:31advice is unreliable. Human governments
128. 4:34have failed. [music] Human philosophies
129. 4:36have changed repeatedly. Human
130. 4:38predictions have often been wrong.
131. 4:40>> [music]
132. 4:40>> Human strength is temporary. Human
133. 4:43wisdom is limited. If we build our lives
134. 4:46on these things, eventually, we will
135. 4:48experience disappointment. [music]
136. 4:50Consider how many people today place
137. 4:52their trust in wealth. They believe
138. 4:54money will provide security and
139. 4:56happiness. [music]
140. 4:57Yet, financial systems can collapse.
141. 4:59Jobs can disappear. Please subscribe.
142. 5:03Savings can be lost. Others place their
143. 5:06trust in political leaders. Yet,
144. 5:08governments change, policies change, and
145. 5:11human leaders often fail to fulfill
146. 5:13their promises. Others trust entirely in
147. 5:16their own abilities. Yet, health
148. 5:18problems, aging, and unexpected
149. 5:20circumstances quickly remind us of our
150. 5:23limitations. When trust is [music]
151. 5:25placed in something temporary,
152. 5:27disappointment is inevitable. That is
153. 5:30why Jehovah lovingly warns us not to
154. 5:32place our ultimate confidence in humans.
155. 5:35Thankfully, the scriptures do not leave
156. 5:37us with a negative example. They present
157. 5:39a far better way. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says,
158. 5:43[music]
159. 5:43"Blessed is the man who trusts in
160. 5:45Jehovah, whose confidence is in him. He
161. 5:48will become like a tree planted by the
162. 5:50waters that sends its roots out into the
163. 5:53stream.
164. 5:54What a beautiful contrast.
165. 5:56>> [music]
166. 5:56>> Instead of a lonely tree struggling in
167. 5:58the desert, we now see a strong tree
168. 6:01growing beside abundant water.
169. 6:03Ancient poplar and willow trees often
170. 6:06grew along rivers and streams in Bible
171. 6:08lands. Their roots reached [music] deep
172. 6:10into a constant source of water. Even
173. 6:13during periods of heat, they remained
174. 6:15green and productive. Their leaves
175. 6:17stayed [music] healthy. Their growth
176. 6:19continued. They did not merely survive,
177. 6:22they flourished.
178. 6:24Jehovah says that this is what happens
179. 6:26when we trust in him. Notice that the
180. 6:28[music] tree still experiences heat.
181. 6:30Difficulties do not disappear.
182. 6:32Challenges still come. Problems still
183. 6:35arise. But the tree remains healthy
184. 6:38[music] because its roots have access to
185. 6:40a dependable source of nourishment.
186. 6:42Similarly, trusting Jehovah does not
187. 6:44remove every trial from our life. We
188. 6:47still face illness, economic challenges,
189. 6:50family problems, and opposition.
190. 6:53However, because our roots are firmly
191. 6:54planted in Jehovah, we have the strength
192. 6:57needed to endure.
193. 6:58>> [music]
194. 6:59>> We continue producing spiritual fruit.
195. 7:01We continue enjoying peace. [music] We
196. 7:03continue moving forward despite
197. 7:05obstacles.
198. 7:06How can we strengthen [music] this trust
199. 7:08in Jehovah?
200. 7:09One way is through prayer.
201. 7:11Genuine prayer expresses our dependence
202. 7:14on Jehovah.
203. 7:15When we pray regularly and sincerely, we
204. 7:18acknowledge that we need his guidance.
205. 7:20We recognize that we cannot successfully
206. 7:22direct our own steps.
207. 7:24>> [music]
208. 7:25>> Another way is through regular Bible
209. 7:26study. Trust grows when knowledge grows.
210. 7:30The more we learn about Jehovah's
211. 7:32qualities, the more confidence we
212. 7:33develop in his promises.
213. 7:36We see how [music] faithfully he cared
214. 7:37for his servants in the past. We learn
215. 7:40how his wisdom has always proved
216. 7:42superior to human thinking. As a result,
217. 7:45our confidence in him deepens.
218. 7:47Trust also grows through obedience. Each
219. 7:50time we follow Jehovah's guidance and
220. 7:52experience the benefits, [music] our
221. 7:54confidence becomes stronger. We begin to
222. 7:56see for ourselves that Jehovah's way
223. 7:58truly is the best way. Even when
224. 8:01obedience requires sacrifice, the
225. 8:03blessings that follow reinforce our
226. 8:06trust.
227. 8:07Another important factor is our
228. 8:08association. [music] The people around
229. 8:11us influence our thinking. If we
230. 8:13surround ourselves with those who value
231. 8:15Jehovah's wisdom, our own trust in him
232. 8:18will be strengthened. Their examples,
233. 8:20experiences, [music]
234. 8:21and expressions of faith encourage us to
235. 8:24rely more fully on Jehovah.
236. 8:27Let us also remember that trusting
237. 8:28Jehovah does not mean rejecting all
238. 8:31human assistance. Jehovah often uses
239. 8:33people to help us. Mature Christians can
240. 8:36provide valuable counsel. Medical
241. 8:38professionals may offer beneficial
242. 8:40treatment. Skilled workers may provide
243. 8:43useful [music] services. The issue is
244. 8:45not whether humans can help us, the
245. 8:47issue is where our ultimate trust
246. 8:49[music] resides.
247. 8:50We can appreciate human assistance while
248. 8:52recognizing that our true confidence
249. 8:54belongs [music] to Jehovah.
250. 8:56Brothers and sisters, every day we face
251. 8:59choices that reveal where our trust
252. 9:01lies. When we make decisions, [music]
253. 9:03do we rely primarily on human reasoning
254. 9:06or on Jehovah's guidance?
255. 9:09When problems arise, do we turn first to
256. 9:11Jehovah in prayer or only after every
257. 9:14human solution [music] has failed? When
258. 9:17the world promotes ideas that conflict
259. 9:19with Bible principles, whose voice
260. 9:21carries greater weight in our mind?
261. 9:24These questions help us examine our
262. 9:26heart. The contrast presented in
263. 9:28Jeremiah chapter 17 remains as relevant
264. 9:31today as it was when it was first
265. 9:34written.
266. 9:35One path leads to spiritual dryness,
267. 9:37disappointment, [music] and weakness.
268. 9:40The other leads to spiritual health,
269. 9:42stability, and blessing. [music]
270. 9:44One resembles a lonely tree struggling
271. 9:47in the desert. The other resembles a
272. 9:49flourishing tree beside abundant waters.
273. 9:52Jehovah wants each of us to enjoy the
274. 9:54blessings associated with the second
275. 9:56picture. He wants us to flourish
276. 9:59spiritually. He wants us to remain
277. 10:01strong during difficult times. He wants
278. 10:04us to enjoy peace and security that the
279. 10:06world cannot provide. Most importantly,
280. 10:10he wants us to remain close to him.
281. 10:13Therefore, let us continue [music]
282. 10:14strengthening our trust in Jehovah every
283. 10:17day. Let us seek his guidance before
284. 10:19making important decisions. Let us pray
285. 10:22regularly and sincerely. Let us study
286. 10:25his word carefully. Let us obey his
287. 10:28direction wholeheartedly.
288. 10:30And let us never allow human wisdom to
289. 10:33replace [music] the superior wisdom that
290. 10:35comes from Jehovah.
291. 10:37If we do these things, we will not
292. 10:39become like the lonely tree in the
293. 10:41desert. [music]
294. 10:42Instead, we will become like the
295. 10:44flourishing tree planted beside streams
296. 10:46of water, remaining spiritually healthy,
297. 10:49productive, [music] and strong.
298. 10:52Subscribe now.
299. 10:57>> [music]