It’s interesting how the next letter/word in the acronym UNITY is T for “Trust.” Trust is built on a person’s integrity. Where integrity exists, brothers and sisters in Christ are willing to trust one another. When researching trust for my sermon on the ripple effect of Jesus’ prayer in John 17, I was not able to find a Bible verse telling me to put my trust in another person. We are called to trust in God alone.

  

Proverbs 3:5 reminds us today to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Psalm 9:10 declares, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

  

But many want to “trust” other believers. So how do we do it? Jesus throughout John 17 prays that His disciples and the future church would be one in Christ just like He is one with the Father. The trust that Jesus Christ has in His Father is the same trust we need to have with one another.

  

When I was a partner in my former firm, I had a high trust level with my two business partners. We were very diverse individuals, but together a force to be reckoned with in the architectural community. Each of us had very different characteristics and qualities, but through years of working together, trusted decisions were made individually for the benefit of the business. Even when we had what some would call failures, we each knew we could count on the other two partners to make it through. Similar to the Latin phrase “nemo reside” (no man left behind), which was adopted by the elite U.S. Army Rangers, we committed to not leaving each other behind, which ultimately led to a high level of trust in one another.

  

When the body of Christ can trust one another, ministry will flourish. There is little to no concern about decisions being made, responsibilities being carried out, or reprimands being made when something does not go as well as it should. We can simply focus on our assigned and called ministry area. Similar to the high level of trust I had with my business partners, we can strive to have the same with fellow believers. Jesus encouraged the disciples to be united because they were going to work together, serve together, and some die together. Christ encourages us to be unified for the sake of the Gospel.

  

What does it take for you to build trust with another believer? What do you need to do to allow other believers to trust you? Is there something in your life that needs to change to allow trust to occur? Building trust in others and gaining trust from others can be one of the most difficult things in life to achieve. Be encouraged by Psalm 25:21: “May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”

  

ACTION STEP: Have you put your full trust in Jesus Christ? If so, write a prayer rejoicing in the fact you can completely and fully trust in Christ and follow Him. If not, take this opportunity to put your trust in Christ and the fact that He was born on earth, died on the cross to pay the price for your wrong, and was raised to life, overcoming sin and death forever. Are there people who you need to trust you or you need to trust? List out these people and what you need to do to start this process of building or giving trust.