"So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They replied to Jesus, "We are Abraham's descendants, and we've never been anyone's slaves. So how can you say that we will be set free?" Jesus answered them, "I can guarantee this truth: Whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin. A slave doesn't live in the home forever, but a son does." John 8:31-35 GWT
We've all heard the phrase bandied around, "The truth will set you free", for a variety of reasons....even to sell a product on the t.v. It is often used in prophetizing to those lost souls in the darkness of the world and its confusion and pain.
But, as I've written...and what has been commented on.....truth seems to be an illusionary thing, subjected to a mirage of ideas, theories, and assumptions.
Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light." End of discussion.
He didn't say, "Hey, I think"...."Look deep into yourself for truth".
He said, "I AM TRUTH".
When man decides he can define truth, it is relatively easy to dispute and corrupt that definition. We each want to be important within the communities in which we live, play, work, and breathe. We want weight in our being, we want to stand for something (even if it is our own self-importance). We spend our lives in a quest for truth, because the truths we discover are dependent upon the culture of the times and the mood of those who we interact with.
Truth is as illusionary as our happiness. "Once let a man become persuaded that he is a hero in quest of the holy grail of truth and he becomes a victim of a pretty and pleasant delusion that inflates his ego and blinds him to the very truth he claims to seek." A.W. Tozer comments about this search, "And if he is later forced to admit that he has not found it he absolves himself from all guilt, for has he not searched? Has he not hunted through the years for the precious treasure? Where is the stone he has left unturned? Where has he not drilled or digged among the philosophies and religions of the world? Why then has he not found? To him there can be only one answer: The Spirit and Wisdom of the universe has let him down."
If Truth is so illusionary and simply Don Quxito's windmill when it comes down to it, why do we continue to seek it in everything we do. Why don't we just give up, declare the world against us and, if there is indeed a 'God', then He has too abandoned us. We become disillusioned by this constant failure to find truth, that absolute truth that cannot be changed, adapted, or defined by others but meets the criticisms and derision of those opposed to its utterance.
We can place a litmus test upon each of the 'debatable' sins and commandments of the Bible and the utterings of this 'God-Man' Jesus by simply looking at the past, when the moral and spiritual fiber of this country was in good health and compare it to today, where society is king and culture has shifted truth to fit the needs of the multitude.
In each case, we can see the destruction and continued decay of the moral and spiritual fiber of the world as we allow each of those sins to 'be accomadated' so that we won't be called intolerant. We can look to the life-living philosphies of our faith in action and point to the problem of why this life doesn't always work. If we pretend there is no accountability, cause and effect, action and reaction, then we become a slave to that which we ignore.
As Christ said, "A slave doesn't have the solid place to be that a child of the manor does." It is important to speak the Truth, regardless of the circumstances. It is even more important to live it.
As A.W. Tozer concludes, "Disillusioning people is a thankless task and quite plainly does not come under the category of making friends and thinking positively. Nevertheless it must be done if we are to rescue lost men from the consequences of their delusions. So let me say boldly that it is not the difficulty of discovering truth but the unwillingness to obey it that makes it so rare among men."
If we obey the words of Christ, we will be set free. The Truth is available to us to know, will we chose to follow it?
Thursday, July 10
Wednesday, July 9
Another day.............
"Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!" 1 Chronicles 16:8-13 (NASB)
The song by Casting Crowns, "Praise You in this storm", has been playing over and over in my mind as I wake up each morning. The sheer effort that it takes, as I prepare myself yet for another day of stress, worry, and uncertainity, to lift up praises to the Heavenly Father defies even my ability to completely do so effectively.
If I look at the world through my all-too human eyes, I quail at the sheer mountain that I've the adacity to climb. Who am I and what am I thinking?
But I draw my focus, sometimes unwillingly, to God and the promises He has made. Do I feel that God is in control of this runaway bus, careening through the structural integrity of my life, or do I question His ability to even care about such a man as myself? I cannot accept the sacrifice that Christ made upon the cross, crying out "It is finished", and not believe that this massive God is not without His hand upon my life, His plan in place and actively moving forward. I cannot believe that my faith, fired with the call of the Savior, is barren and without hope. I can't, simply because everything that I see, that God points to me for understanding and wisdom, shows me that there is no loss in what I have gained. I cannot lose what God Himself has given to me.
I look to the times of David, a man after God's own heart, and the struggles he faced, this promised leader for the Israelite nation and the line that would bring the Messiah to earth as prophecied. I look to that servant who was dismayed at the arrayed army before him and quailed before the prophet in fear until God revealed the Heavenly Host surrounding the physical army itself---protecting His children. I look to Paul, and all the times he was in prison and suffered in a multitude of ways physically. I look to the story, the narrative of God's word and works, promises and hope.....and I cannot help but praise Him, even in the midst of uncertainity and chaos.
I was bulit to move in this mess, and I will move.
Why do I have this hope; as I prepare to lose my apartment, struggle to keep my car running---all under the hope that I will be employed by the end of the month?
Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, an leading evangelical scholar and professor of psychology and philosophy at Eastern College in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania says, "Much of it hinges on your view of scripture. Are you playing proof-text poker with Genesis plus the Gospels and Paul’s epistles, with everything else just sort of a big mystery in between—except maybe Psalms and Proverbs, which you use devotionally? Or do you see scripture as being a cosmic drama—creation, fall, redemption, future hope—dramatic narratives that you can apply to all areas of life?"
The more I struggle, the more I dig within the 'cosmic drama' of the Biblical story. I see God's strength within those who follow Him, and I see God's compassion and mercy displayed upon those who have turned from their sinful ways, time after time. I see biblical truth, in the midst of the blinding pain of this broken and fallen world. And I know, regardless of the circumstances or even where I am tomorrow, God is there and His hand is upon my shoulder.
Each time I feel so lost, so alone, in this mess; God whispers "I am with you." When I decide that I am unworthy of any salvation and rescue, God points to the Father who threw a big feast when his son returned home. He points to the birds of the field, the flowers of the plains, and reminds me of my worth.
I arrive at work each morning, my heart and soul recaptured by the Father. And, though the problems don't fade away, I can smile.......
For I know that God will what God wills.
And He reveals to me each day what that Will is.
To praise Him.......
even in this storm.
The song by Casting Crowns, "Praise You in this storm", has been playing over and over in my mind as I wake up each morning. The sheer effort that it takes, as I prepare myself yet for another day of stress, worry, and uncertainity, to lift up praises to the Heavenly Father defies even my ability to completely do so effectively.
If I look at the world through my all-too human eyes, I quail at the sheer mountain that I've the adacity to climb. Who am I and what am I thinking?
But I draw my focus, sometimes unwillingly, to God and the promises He has made. Do I feel that God is in control of this runaway bus, careening through the structural integrity of my life, or do I question His ability to even care about such a man as myself? I cannot accept the sacrifice that Christ made upon the cross, crying out "It is finished", and not believe that this massive God is not without His hand upon my life, His plan in place and actively moving forward. I cannot believe that my faith, fired with the call of the Savior, is barren and without hope. I can't, simply because everything that I see, that God points to me for understanding and wisdom, shows me that there is no loss in what I have gained. I cannot lose what God Himself has given to me.
I look to the times of David, a man after God's own heart, and the struggles he faced, this promised leader for the Israelite nation and the line that would bring the Messiah to earth as prophecied. I look to that servant who was dismayed at the arrayed army before him and quailed before the prophet in fear until God revealed the Heavenly Host surrounding the physical army itself---protecting His children. I look to Paul, and all the times he was in prison and suffered in a multitude of ways physically. I look to the story, the narrative of God's word and works, promises and hope.....and I cannot help but praise Him, even in the midst of uncertainity and chaos.
I was bulit to move in this mess, and I will move.
Why do I have this hope; as I prepare to lose my apartment, struggle to keep my car running---all under the hope that I will be employed by the end of the month?
Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, an leading evangelical scholar and professor of psychology and philosophy at Eastern College in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania says, "Much of it hinges on your view of scripture. Are you playing proof-text poker with Genesis plus the Gospels and Paul’s epistles, with everything else just sort of a big mystery in between—except maybe Psalms and Proverbs, which you use devotionally? Or do you see scripture as being a cosmic drama—creation, fall, redemption, future hope—dramatic narratives that you can apply to all areas of life?"
The more I struggle, the more I dig within the 'cosmic drama' of the Biblical story. I see God's strength within those who follow Him, and I see God's compassion and mercy displayed upon those who have turned from their sinful ways, time after time. I see biblical truth, in the midst of the blinding pain of this broken and fallen world. And I know, regardless of the circumstances or even where I am tomorrow, God is there and His hand is upon my shoulder.
Each time I feel so lost, so alone, in this mess; God whispers "I am with you." When I decide that I am unworthy of any salvation and rescue, God points to the Father who threw a big feast when his son returned home. He points to the birds of the field, the flowers of the plains, and reminds me of my worth.
I arrive at work each morning, my heart and soul recaptured by the Father. And, though the problems don't fade away, I can smile.......
For I know that God will what God wills.
And He reveals to me each day what that Will is.
To praise Him.......
even in this storm.
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