N.E.W. S.T.A.R.T. Trust

Trust. A simple one syllable word with complexities that can wondrously simplify a situation when it is present, or monumentally complicate the situation where it is absent. As it regards these eight principles in the NEW START acronym, “Trust” (in God) is the one upon which the other seven find their base.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) From this foundational statement we find in these first two chapters of the Bible all the principles found in the NEW START acronym.

Nutrition—“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29). It requires Trust to believe that the food prescribe to us from the very beginning was and is the very best for regaining and maintaining health.

Exercise—“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15). To dress and keep the garden required physical activity, lifting the arms, bending the back, squatting the legs. We must Trust that God did not prescribe this as a burden, but for the strength and vigor of His children.

Water—“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden..” (Genesis 2:10).

Sunlight—“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day..” (Genesis 1:16).

Temperance—“The Lord God commanded the man, saying…of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17). It should be noted that death did not happen instantly after eating from the forbidden tree.

Likewise the effects of intemperance in eating and drinking is not usually an immediate consequence, but ramifications which appear over a course of time. Here is an area that truly requires Trust in the warnings that God gives.

Air—“And God said, Let there be a firmament (atmosphere)…And God called the firmament Heaven.” (Genesis 1:6,8). We must Trust that fresh Air is of such importance that at its creation it was named after heaven itself.

Rest— “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” (Genesis 2:2). So essential is rest, that God who does not get tired nor wearied gave us an example of rest to magnify its importance.

Trust in God —“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). In its simplest application “Trust” is a choice we make, and who we choose to trust will have the greatest impact on our life than any other factor. In Genesis we are introduced to God as a loving Father, “showering” with gifts the children He is “expecting” to create. Does not such a loving Father deserve our trust?

Next week we will bookend this series with a final summary, and an open invitation to embrace a NEW START.