You Can Trust Your Brothers - WE NEED OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Consider also the example set by one of Nabal's servants. David and his men had kindly provided protection for the servants of an Israelite named Nabal.  Sometime later, David asked  wealthy Nabal  to provide food for David's men, whatever Nabal could spare.  When Nabal refused his modest request, David became so angry that he decided to kill every man in Nabal's household.  A servant reported  the situation  to Nabal's wife, Abigail. As a member of the household, he knew that his life was in Abigail's hands.  Instead of running away, he trusted that Abigail would be able to correct the situation. He could have such confidence   because she was known to be a discerning woman. As it turned out, his confidence was justified. Abigail acted with courage by dissuading David from carrying out his plan.  (1 Samuel 25:2-35) She trusted that Dacid would act reasonably, which he did. And she had supplied David and his men with food.

Jesus trusted his disciples despite their failings. (John 15:15, 16) When James and John asked for a special position in the Kingdom, Jesus did not question their motives for serving Jehovah or remove them as apostles.  (Mark 10:35-40) Later, all of Jesus' disciples abandoned him on the night he was arrested. (Matthew 26:56) Jesus, however, never lost faith in them.  He was welll-aware of their imperfections; yet, he "loved them to the end." (John 13:1) The resurrected Jesus even assigned his faithful apostles the weighty responsibility to take the lead in the disciple-making work and to care for his precious sheep.  (Matthew 28:19, 20; John 21:15-17) His confidence in these imperfect men was not misplaced. All of them served faithfully until the end of their earthly course.  Certainly Hannah, David, Nabal's servant, Abigail, and Jesus set a fine example in trusting imperfect  humans.

Next time: You Can Trust Your Brothers - REBUILDING OUR TRUST

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