By John A. Huffman, Jr.
If someone were to evaluate your life at this moment, under the harsh spotlight of reality, in what would they say you have put your trust?
Let me ask this question another way. The phone rings, and a cosmic voice declares that you have just a few more minutes to live. Already your tombstone is being prepared. You are being given a choice as to what epitaph will be chiseled on that stone. You are welcome to fill in the blank, "He put his trust in ..." "She put her trust in ..." How would you fill in the blanks? On what are you basing your life? In what are you putting your trust? Whether it ever will appear chiseled in stone is questionable. But I can assure you that in an eternal sense you and I, right now, are chiseling into the very granite of eternity the reality of putting our trust in something or someone.
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Please don't give a quick superficial, pious answer. Be honest. No one has to hear your answer but you and God. You can't fool Him. I doubt that you really want to con yourself. Are you placing your trust in your intelligence? Are you placing your trust in your talent? Are you placing your trust in your reputation? Are you placing your trust in your money? Are you placing your trust in your family name? Are you placing your trust in your right connections? Are you placing your trust in your good looks? Are you placing your trust in your good works? The list could go on. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with God.
There is an alternative answer to this question. You can imagine what it is. But please don't give it unless it's true. I, myself, must be very honest that I do not too quickly jump to my feet with the "right answer" if it isn't existentially the authentic answer for me. Can you have chiseled on your tombstone this: "She put her trust in Jesus Christ!" "He put his trust in Jesus Christ!"
For 24 hours this week, eighteen evangelical leaders, coming from every part of the United States and many different denominations, came together to discuss the balkanization of American Christianity. Everybody seems to be doing his or her own thing, with individual leaders championing their own causes. We asked ourselves these questions: What distinct, central, clarion call could all genuine followers of Jesus hear and rally around, dropping momentarily their pet projects and dominant issues, to declare their oneness? Is there anything that could draw all believers together?
We concluded that the rallying call would be that declaration of Peter after his arrest before the Jewish Sanhedrin. He declared the centrality of Jesus Christ in these words: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (
Acts 4:12). At the same time, looking the Jewish leaders directly in the eyes, he paraphrased
Psalm 118:22, declaring, "He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'"