Condemning Silence

Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not hope. It’s not even a belief. Hope fails, and beliefs are often found to be mistaken. Scripture refers to faith as proof or assurance. This means it is not something that we hope desperately for, screwing up all our willpower to imagine it coming to pass. It’s the quiet confidence of the final outcome. If someone I trust tells me that they will give me $100 dollars, I don’t have to really, really, really hope that they’re going to, I don’t have to worry whether they’ll follow through, I don’t have to name it and claim it, I just plan on what to do with it when it arrives. It’s just that simple. If God says that He’ll provide, and I trust that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, then I don’t have to try to believe Him, I don’t have to try to visualize the end result. I can just move on, peacefully knowing the good result will follow.

Andrew Trivette Uncategorized

Everyone has an opinion about who I am. Some think of me as a scientist, some as a horticulturalist, some as a “tech guy”, some as just an all around geek. Some think I’m really quiet, some think I talk to much, some think I’m anti-social, some think I’m really friendly. Some think I’m abrasive, some think I’m caring. Everyone has an opinion about who I am.

So who am I?

I’m a child of God. Period. What I can accomplish, how far I can go, who I can touch, what defines my success and failures all revolve around one factor. What does God say I can do? If He tells me I can do it, hell itself can’t stop me. If He tells me I can’t, there’s no point in trying. I am only as smart and capable as God says I am able to be.

Not much of a limit, huh?

Why does this matter? It matters because I see people day after day living in a box of their own construction, defining their own limits, or worse living within the limits their friends and families impose on them. Every day these people limit their creativity, their talents, and their personalities to fit within their notions of what they can do.
What a shame!
You don’t speak in public because you are scared of what people will think. You don’t cry, share, hurt, or love, because no one expects you to. You live in a defeat of your own making, because you don’t really believe that through God, you really can do all things.
I personally refuse to live a life of someone else’s making. I won’t live with regrets, or second guessing where I could be now, if I had dared to be a little different. All the descriptions of me listed above have a measure of truth to them, but it’s not the whole picture. I enjoy a lot of different things, but I know without any doubt, that I could walk away from every one of my projects and hobbies, and live just as fulfilled as I do today, as long as I’m still following God’s desires for me.
I love challenging people to think outside the box. It’s not always comfortable, and many don’t like it. But when I look at a person and see where they are, and where they could be if they just trusted God, it’s to hard to just sit by.

Andrew Trivette Random Ideas random

Listen to: Impacting Our World

5. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; 6. and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:5,6

I read a quote recently that really captured my imagination. It said, “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure”  (Marianne Williamson, full quote)

I see Christians day after day, living silently as if in defeat, making no impact on the world around them, as if they have no power to make any difference. How then could we say that our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure? Simply put, if we accept that we have power, we must also accept the accompanying responsibility. If each of us hold unlimited power, then the responsibility to speak life to our world, to condemn evil, and to put God’s plan ahead of our own benefit, becomes not merely an opportunity or an ideal, but rather the greatest imperative of all. For if we hold the power to change a situation and remain silent, we withhold life from those who so desperately want it and need it!

So rather than accept our opportunity to become a catalyst for life and healing, we convince ourselves and those around us that we are incapable of making a difference. We argue that our lack of education, or lack of money, influence, charm, looks, etc, somehow exempt us from our God-given responsibility.

Every one of us has a sphere of influence, be it large or small. It consists of the people we interact with regularly. Our family, friends, co-workers, classmates, teachers, store clerks, receptionists, customers, to name a few. These are the people that we have the opportunity to speak life to, to tell about how Jesus has changed our lives, and how He can change theirs. These are the people to whom we can tangibly show God’s love, through service, time, gifts, and caring.

I believe that as we impact our world, our sphere of influence, then God expands our world. This is illustrated in Scripture with the parable that Jesus tells about the servants and the talents(Matthew 25). Jesus shows the master of the house giving money to his servants, and when he returns he gives more to those who used their sums well, and took from those who did nothing. The same thing happens as we use our gifts for God’s glory.

The same principle is illustrated in Acts 1 when Jesus tells the disciples to start witnessing in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Notice that he is telling them to start where they are at in Jerusalem, then to go to Judea, then to go to Samaria, and so on, in an ever widening approach. The point is that we are to start where we are at now, and God will expand our world in proportion to our faithfulness. (See also 1 Corinthians 7:20-24)

We see in Exodus 19, verses 5 and 6, God telling Moses about His plan for the Israelites. He desired them to be not a kingdom run by priests, but a kingdom of priests, a nation that stood as a beacon, or an example, to the rest of the world. He re-iterates this desire time and again through the prophets, pleading with Israel(the people, not just the leaders), to follow Him not through tradition, but with their hearts. You see, God’s evangelistic plan did not start after Christ, but has been His plan from the very beginning. God knew that the love He offers each and every one of us is so revolutionary, and so mind-blowing that He could entrust it to a pathetically ignorant species, and it could still change the world.

The point here is not to challenge you to become vocal about the Lord. Far from it. Rather, I would propose that until God impacts your life, you should probably just shut up. The challenge is to search for God, to let nothing hold you back from giving your life, your whole life, to His care. And when you experience God in His power, His fullness, and His love, I won’t need to tell you that you can impact your world.

Andrew Trivette Random Ideas podcast

Below is a video of Billy Graham speaking at TED 98 about the limits of technology in our daily lives. This is one of the best discussions on the subject I’ve heard presented. Enjoy!

Andrew Trivette Uncategorized video