I think that recently many people around the world are beginning to question the validity of many of the public institutions we have formerly considered reliable and trustworthy. The questionable behaviour of some within these organisations has thrown serious doubt upon their credibility, and the question we must now ask is: Where should we place our trust?
Should we put our trust in Government?
Statistically speaking those involved in politics are among the least trusted professions by the general public, as they consistently say one thing and do another. If we listed every Election Promise that has been broken by politicians then we would probably never finish writing. How many times have you wondered whether a politician is merely stating a policy that will ensure that they get re-elected rather one that will actually help their country?
It often seems that gone are the days when men and women stepped into the political arena because they wanted to serve their country and make a difference to it's future. Although I believe that their are still some politicians who's motives are honourable, it would seem by many politicians behaviours, that this group is now in the minority.
In the ongoing pandemic we are seeing disturbing signs of the misuse of power and the erosion of true democratic processes and government accountability. The government of each nation is empowered by it's citizens to work for the benefit of all, and is supposed to be held accountable by the general public for it's actions.
I find it particularly disturbing when 'emergency powers' are instituted by law during times of crisis, but then not repealed as soon as the crisis is over. It would seem that the democratic system of government is being slowly eroded when your rights as citizens disappear under the shadow of an overbearing government.
*We are however admonished in the scriptures both to respect and pray for those in government as they are in positions of power and need all the help they can get. We should also obey the rules they institute up to the point they specifically go against scriptural teaching or our conscience.
Should we put our trust in the Banks?
In my nation of Australia and many other nations of the world, the banking institutions have come under increasing scrutiny for misleading and dishonest practices over the past few years, and a growing number have been convicted and heavily fined by corporate judicial systems.
Greed is nearly always at the root of dishonest or manipulative practices within the financial institutions of our nations, and unfortunately it is a vice that has become widespread within the community.
I wonder if people allow greed to rule their lives because they believe that this world is all there is and they need to get everything they can out of it, by any means possible. Those that live this way have yet to reconnect with their creator, and to find the true and lasting perspective that will free them from striving to get ahead in life, and lead them into a life of peace and heavens provision.
(1 Timothy 6:10)
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
(Matthew 6:19-21) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Should we put our trust in the Media?
50 years ago most media outlets had a high level of trust and respectability within the community, and nearly all of what they reported on within the news was able to be relied upon as factual and correct. This reliability was undergirded by a commitment to a stringent journalistic code of ethics which included the responsibility to maintain an unbiased view on each story and to ensure that all facts reported could be verified.
Sadly that is no longer the case in many modern media outlets, and the reasons behind their decline in trustworthiness become clear when a comparison is made with previous media eras.
The previously stringent code of ethics is now perceived merely as a guideline for conduct within the profession, and it would seem is often overlooked when it limits getting a big headline story!
When I grew up the news reporter used to come on the television and inform the viewing public of newsworthy incidents by telling us the facts as best they knew them of what happened, where it happened, and who was involved etc. It was left to us as intelligent adults to make up our own minds as to how we individually thought about or interpreted what happened.
Now when we turn on the news, the TV reporter often no longer merely informs us of newsworthy incidents by telling us what happened, by also attempt to educate us in how we should think about what happened by adding their own opinions on the subject.
This generational change in how news is reported to the public is now consistently being abused to propagate the views of those who hold power in each media outlet. The general public is no longer receiving unbiased reporting upon the incidents that may have occurred but are having their world view and ideas shaped by those who are well trained in how to manipulate public opinion.
This extreme bias has now become normal procedure of many modern media outlets and shaken many people's trust in the reliability of what is actually being reported upon.
Should we put our trust in Universities?
Universities and Colleges across the world used to be organisations that were not limited to merely training it's students in preparation for a professional career, but also taught them how to use their own intellect to question things and to discover answers for themselves in many areas of life.
This is no longer the case in some Universities with many now actually discouraging students from coming to their own conclusions by critical examination and analysis of different views and opinions.
I find it disturbing when seeing on campus video footage, where anyone voicing an opinion contrary to those of the accepted dialogue, are set upon and bullied or shamed into submission by other students. This behaviour rather than being curtailed by those entrusted with running these organisations, seems rather to be being encouraged by the Universities refusal to discipline these intimidators.
Many Universities are no longer places where we learn how to think critically, but have become establishments that indoctrinate young people into what they must think
Many universities have become places of indoctrination to the radical views of those who have crept into positions of power and influence over the last few decades. Impressionable students look up to their lecturers and accept what they say as truth, never questioning the motives or orientations of their teachers. Sadly many are led down an intellectual path that brings destruction rather than life. They go willingly as lambs to the slaughter by those in positions of power and who should have protected them!
In a world that has lost it's way, where should we place our trust?
To place our trust in the imperfect world that man has created is like building a house on the sand, it has no real foundation and eventually it must fall.
(Matthew 7:24-27) “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Mankind has been corrupted by sins entrance into this world, and therefore all men have been influenced to a greater or lesser extent by the spirit of wickedness that is present with us in the world! This corruption is increasingly being revealed within these organisations as the moral and ethical boundaries that were the basis for much of our western society have been slowly eroding over the last 50 years.
(John 2:24-25) But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man
(1 John 2:16-18) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Jesus came into the world not only to give His life as a perfect sacrifice to pay the price for our sins, but He also came preaching the Kingdom of God. He spoke of an eternal kingdom that would never end, a kingdom where love and justice ruled and where all sin and pain was banished forever.
Jesus Christ came as a perfect reflection of God's love and wisdom, to show men the only way out of our fallen creation.
(John 14:6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
So who should we place our trust in?
And Who can we as men truly rely upon?
*The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a special blessing that comes upon those who place their hope and trust fully in God. Those who do shall enjoy a lasting sense of peace and confidence that will continue to bless them and guide them and their family into a joyful eternity.
(Jeremiah 17:7-8) “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
God Bless
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