John 3:31-36
“He has come from heaven and is greater than
anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the
things of earth. He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few
believe what he tells them! Those who believe him discover that God is a
fountain of truth. For this one—sent by God—speaks God’s words, for
God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. The Father loves this
man because he is his Son, and God has given him everything there is.
And all who trust him — God’s Son — to save them have eternal life;
those who don’t believe and obey him shall never see heaven, but the
wrath of God remains upon them.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
At
least once a week, I see a story posted on Facebook that sounds so
wonderful – or plausible - and many people are eagerly sharing. I
learned the hard way to go to Snopes.com* first and make sure whether or
not these stories are true. Slaves in Charleston, South Carolina did not start Memorial Day to honor the Union war dead…baby cribs were not
circled up outside of the Pentagon on 9/11 to protect infants and
toddlers who attended a daycare there…journalist Matt Lauer and NBC did
not omit the statement from the mother of a Navy seal killed in Libya
that her Christian faith sustains her. These and so many more
“shared-for-truth” viral stories are carefully and articulately debunked
on fact-checking websites, if only we will take a few minutes to
investigate and verify.
Let’s be honest…we are pretty
gullible…and sometimes we’re downright naïve. We also seem to have a
penchant for believing the stories that are outrageous, tug at our
heartstrings, make us want to wave our flags and feel all
“patriotic”…and those that make our blood boil. We are human…and this
is part of our nature.
The sad truth is that we can have ALL of
this – and so much more – in God’s word and the “story” that Jesus has
to share with us. There are tales of outrageous acts, battles,
struggles and suffering. There are heartwarming stories of rescue and
redemption. We have opportunities to thump our chest and praise our
Warrior God who defeats all enemies and protects His Kingdom. And we
have the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, the murder of innocent babies,
and other heinous acts that can make our blood boil. And we can believe
every single word we read and share it with others to our heart’s
content!
There are two lessons here…1) check your sources – AND
your facts – before you share what you read and hear from mere
mortals…even your closest friend or relative, and 2) learn to trust the
word of God – and believe and obey His directives.
I
particularly like the image of God’s “fountain of truth.” Who doesn’t
love a beautiful fountain? When my siblings and I were little, our city
park had a “wading pool” with a fountain. We loved to stand under the
shower of refreshing water and bask in its coolness on a hot summer day.
The idea that God’s gifts are like that fountain - that He sustains,
encourages, and renews our spirit throughout this earthly life - gives
me hope, peace and joy. The thought of eternal life in the presence of
God, where EVERY MINUTE is more glorious than I can even dream, gives me
motivation to seek Him and His truth at each turn in this earthly
journey.
Go after the truth in all things…both earthly
declarations and the message of Jesus. Take advantages of resources like
Snopes.com for the former – and the Holy Bible for the latter. Learn
to live in bold confidence that you always operate in facts and concrete
information. Stand under the “fountain” of God’s truth, and let Him
continually pour out His wisdom and blessings on you as you serve
faithfully and obediently. Learn to make every minute count…and make
this the day that you renew your commitment fully prepare for eternity
at the feet of Jesus. The stakes are high…the reward is great…and the
time is now to get this right!
©2016 Debbie Robus
* http://snopes.com
Showing posts with label getting the facts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting the facts. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for March 16, 2015
John 9:28-33
Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know God has spoken to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t know anything about him.”
“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He can heal blind men, and yet you don’t know anything about him! Well, God doesn’t listen to evil men, but he has open ears to those who worship him and do his will. Since the world began there has never been anyone who could open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do it.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Someone posted a comment on a Facebook group I belong to about the history of my home town. They asked, “Where was the first hospital?” Comments began to pour in…many adding, “I’ve lived here all my life…I know this is right!” The trouble is…many of them were not right. Erroneous information flooded the comments to this post.
Then someone posted a photo of a page from a historical book written several years ago about our town. The page clearly described the two hospitals in our town…which came first…who owned them…who sold them…and who bought them! The facts were there in black and white - yet comments continued to pour in that contradicted this documentation.
Why does this matter? Because people will soon skew the “facts” so badly that no one will know what to believe…even though the real information is right in front of them. What has been a fun and informative page of local history will lose followers and become a watered-down source of half-truths and fuzzy recollections.
In the spiritual world, when we fail to look at the facts and recognize Jesus, it’s as if God stops listening. Now hear me on this…God will always hear you when you call on Him. But when you continually skew the facts and act in half-truths…when you attempt to “have it your way” and operate under your own power…when you turn away and ignore His presence…God is not going to be so eager to rush to your rescue at the first sign of trouble! It’s like when a toddler throws a tantrum and expects to get his/her own way. Often the parent will simply ignore this outburst…at least for a while…and let the child figure out that what he/she is doing is not working!
So what’s the point of all of this? In order to truly hear from God, we have to recognize – and acknowledge – Him. He is all around us…we can find evidence of His handiwork in every activity of our day. But too many of us are not looking - or don’t see what is right in front of us. We most certainly have not sought the facts…dug out our Bibles and discovered how the scriptures apply to our daily living…or spent some time just sitting and “listening” for God’s voice. We’ve walked right past the “page with the facts” about God and Jesus…and declared our lives to be in shambles. And then we have wondered why this is!
We can change all of this…and we should…now…here…today! Won’t you spend some time with God and seek His presence in your life? Won’t you sit and listen for His voice…open your eyes and “see” Him at work all around you? What do you really know about God? Isn’t it time you learned more? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know God has spoken to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t know anything about him.”
“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He can heal blind men, and yet you don’t know anything about him! Well, God doesn’t listen to evil men, but he has open ears to those who worship him and do his will. Since the world began there has never been anyone who could open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do it.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Someone posted a comment on a Facebook group I belong to about the history of my home town. They asked, “Where was the first hospital?” Comments began to pour in…many adding, “I’ve lived here all my life…I know this is right!” The trouble is…many of them were not right. Erroneous information flooded the comments to this post.
Then someone posted a photo of a page from a historical book written several years ago about our town. The page clearly described the two hospitals in our town…which came first…who owned them…who sold them…and who bought them! The facts were there in black and white - yet comments continued to pour in that contradicted this documentation.
Why does this matter? Because people will soon skew the “facts” so badly that no one will know what to believe…even though the real information is right in front of them. What has been a fun and informative page of local history will lose followers and become a watered-down source of half-truths and fuzzy recollections.
In the spiritual world, when we fail to look at the facts and recognize Jesus, it’s as if God stops listening. Now hear me on this…God will always hear you when you call on Him. But when you continually skew the facts and act in half-truths…when you attempt to “have it your way” and operate under your own power…when you turn away and ignore His presence…God is not going to be so eager to rush to your rescue at the first sign of trouble! It’s like when a toddler throws a tantrum and expects to get his/her own way. Often the parent will simply ignore this outburst…at least for a while…and let the child figure out that what he/she is doing is not working!
So what’s the point of all of this? In order to truly hear from God, we have to recognize – and acknowledge – Him. He is all around us…we can find evidence of His handiwork in every activity of our day. But too many of us are not looking - or don’t see what is right in front of us. We most certainly have not sought the facts…dug out our Bibles and discovered how the scriptures apply to our daily living…or spent some time just sitting and “listening” for God’s voice. We’ve walked right past the “page with the facts” about God and Jesus…and declared our lives to be in shambles. And then we have wondered why this is!
We can change all of this…and we should…now…here…today! Won’t you spend some time with God and seek His presence in your life? Won’t you sit and listen for His voice…open your eyes and “see” Him at work all around you? What do you really know about God? Isn’t it time you learned more? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for January 27, 2015
Romans 16:17
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Several years ago, Greg worked with a man who would say, “If you lie, you fry!...Hezekiah 3:5”. Sounds good, right? And truly, there are a lot of scripture verses about honesty…but this is not one of them! Let me know if you find the Book of Hezekiah in your Bible!
The October 2010 issue of Tails magazine carried a photo of celebrity chef Rachael Ray and her dog, with this headline…” Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog”. Oh, what a difference punctuation can make!
I share these two examples to illustrate that it is easy to get the wrong idea and/or misinterpret what we read and hear. And nowhere is this more prevalent than in the understanding of Scripture. Many times while writing these devotionals, I must back up and read the surrounding verses – or even surrounding chapters – to determine what was really being said and intended in a particular passage. Yet many wish to take one or two verses – or even a portion of a verse – and make it fit a specific agenda. And this is where we get into trouble.
Paul is challenging the Romans to carefully consider what we read and hear…and this is good advice in all arenas – not just the scriptures. Study the Bible and discern what God is really telling you in each verse. Dig deeply and make sure you understand the nuances and “where the commas have been removed” by some. Don’t take everything people tell you – or that you see in print – as the Gospel. Ask questions…use your head…proceed with caution.
If you lie, you very well might “fry”…but not because “Hezekiah” said so. And I know with a fair amount of certainty that Rachael Ray is not inspired by cooking her family and her dog. Where have you drawn wrong conclusions based on a snippet of information? Isn’t this a great day to start gathering all the facts and letting them guide your steps instead?
©2015 Debbie Robus
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Several years ago, Greg worked with a man who would say, “If you lie, you fry!...Hezekiah 3:5”. Sounds good, right? And truly, there are a lot of scripture verses about honesty…but this is not one of them! Let me know if you find the Book of Hezekiah in your Bible!
The October 2010 issue of Tails magazine carried a photo of celebrity chef Rachael Ray and her dog, with this headline…” Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog”. Oh, what a difference punctuation can make!
I share these two examples to illustrate that it is easy to get the wrong idea and/or misinterpret what we read and hear. And nowhere is this more prevalent than in the understanding of Scripture. Many times while writing these devotionals, I must back up and read the surrounding verses – or even surrounding chapters – to determine what was really being said and intended in a particular passage. Yet many wish to take one or two verses – or even a portion of a verse – and make it fit a specific agenda. And this is where we get into trouble.
Paul is challenging the Romans to carefully consider what we read and hear…and this is good advice in all arenas – not just the scriptures. Study the Bible and discern what God is really telling you in each verse. Dig deeply and make sure you understand the nuances and “where the commas have been removed” by some. Don’t take everything people tell you – or that you see in print – as the Gospel. Ask questions…use your head…proceed with caution.
If you lie, you very well might “fry”…but not because “Hezekiah” said so. And I know with a fair amount of certainty that Rachael Ray is not inspired by cooking her family and her dog. Where have you drawn wrong conclusions based on a snippet of information? Isn’t this a great day to start gathering all the facts and letting them guide your steps instead?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for September 24, 2012
Daniel 2:1-13
In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar started having dreams that disturbed him deeply. He couldn’t sleep. He called in all the Babylonian magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and fortunetellers to interpret his dreams for him. When they came and lined up before the king, he said to them, “I had a dream that I can’t get out of my mind. I can’t sleep until I know what it means.”The fortunetellers, speaking in the Aramaic language, said, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream and we will interpret it.”
The king answered the fortunetellers, “This is my decree: If you can’t tell me both the dream itself and its interpretation, I’ll have you ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and your homes torn down. But if you tell me both the dream and its interpretation, I’ll lavish you with gifts and honors. So go to it: Tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
They answered, “If it please your majesty, tell us the dream. We’ll give the interpretation.”
But the king said, “I know what you’re up to—you’re just playing for time. You know you’re up a tree. You know that if you can’t tell me my dream, you’re doomed. I see right through you—you’re going to cook up some fancy stories and confuse the issue until I change my mind. Nothing doing! First tell me the dream, then I’ll know that you’re on the up and up with the interpretation and not just blowing smoke in my eyes.”
The fortunetellers said, “Nobody anywhere can do what you ask. And no king, great or small, has ever demanded anything like this from any magician, enchanter, or fortuneteller. What you’re asking is impossible unless some god or goddess should reveal it—and they don’t hang around with people like us.”
That set the king off. He lost his temper and ordered the whole company of Babylonian wise men killed. When the death warrant was issued, Daniel and his companions were included. They also were marked for execution.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
More times than I can count, my grandmother presented me with a litany of ailments. “My back is killing me… my head hurts… I can’t get my breath…I’ve felt light-headed or dizzy.” I took her to see the doctor, and when he entered her exam room and asked “How are you today?” she replied, “I’m fine.” On the way home, she would say, “Well, that doctor really didn’t do anything for me!” How could he? After playing “20 Questions” to try and determine her symptoms, he was reduced to guessing at a diagnosis and treatment. Often he erred on the side of caution and ordered a battery of tests - many of which were unpleasant and probably unnecessary. But it was his only recourse in order to protect his patient – and his reputation.
So often, we simply do not have all of the facts. Can you imagine trying to guess what another person dreamed at night… particularly under duress and the threat of dismemberment and death? Yet every time we assume that we know what another person is thinking, our behavior is virtually the same. There may be physicians who claim they can look at you and tell exactly what is wrong… but I would not want one of them treating me! And I wouldn’t want others to judge me based on their own mind-reading abilities!
So what does this mean for us as Christians? First, we must remember that we don’t always have all of the facts… and without them, we can’t possibly make critical judgments about others. We can’t decisively say, “He is lazy,” or “She’s not really sick,” or most certainly, “This person is not a Christian!” We cannot tell others what to do or how to change certain aspects of their life based on casual observations… or even what we think we know to be the facts. At the end of the day, we must stop looking at other people and saying with self-designated authority, “This is what is wrong with you!”
God calls us to love and encourage others… to offer help and hope… and advice when it is requested. But instead of saying, “This is what you should do,” or “You are so wrong,” we need to say, “If this were my decision, I would do this,” or “Based on what I’ve seen and heard, I would recommend such-and-such approach.” There is also no shame in telling another person, “It appears as if this or that is happening… but I don’t have all of the facts, so I cannot say for sure how you should proceed.” The only person who can see into the heart of another is God Almighty… and we are not in His league!
Like the king who really didn’t want to hear his dream recanted and interpreted, we often are setting others up for failure and disappointment by trying to guess what is happening in certain situations. When we give someone else half of the story and expect them to fill in the gaps and treat us a certain way, we have offered nothing more than a not-so-clever trick of our own. King Nebuchadnezzar was angered by the response… and as a king, he felt he had the authority to wield consequences.
There is only One King in our lives… and we humans are not kings! We must ask God to help us temper our reactions to others… to help us operate in truth and the facts as we know them… and to leave judgment and interpretation to Him. Who have you judged or criticized because of a lack of information? Where have you demanded that people treat you in a certain way based on limited facts? Isn’t it time we operated in truth and facts… and left the intangibles for God to handle? Are you ready to get started?
©2012 Debbie Robus
In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar started having dreams that disturbed him deeply. He couldn’t sleep. He called in all the Babylonian magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and fortunetellers to interpret his dreams for him. When they came and lined up before the king, he said to them, “I had a dream that I can’t get out of my mind. I can’t sleep until I know what it means.”The fortunetellers, speaking in the Aramaic language, said, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream and we will interpret it.”
The king answered the fortunetellers, “This is my decree: If you can’t tell me both the dream itself and its interpretation, I’ll have you ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and your homes torn down. But if you tell me both the dream and its interpretation, I’ll lavish you with gifts and honors. So go to it: Tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
They answered, “If it please your majesty, tell us the dream. We’ll give the interpretation.”
But the king said, “I know what you’re up to—you’re just playing for time. You know you’re up a tree. You know that if you can’t tell me my dream, you’re doomed. I see right through you—you’re going to cook up some fancy stories and confuse the issue until I change my mind. Nothing doing! First tell me the dream, then I’ll know that you’re on the up and up with the interpretation and not just blowing smoke in my eyes.”
The fortunetellers said, “Nobody anywhere can do what you ask. And no king, great or small, has ever demanded anything like this from any magician, enchanter, or fortuneteller. What you’re asking is impossible unless some god or goddess should reveal it—and they don’t hang around with people like us.”
That set the king off. He lost his temper and ordered the whole company of Babylonian wise men killed. When the death warrant was issued, Daniel and his companions were included. They also were marked for execution.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
More times than I can count, my grandmother presented me with a litany of ailments. “My back is killing me… my head hurts… I can’t get my breath…I’ve felt light-headed or dizzy.” I took her to see the doctor, and when he entered her exam room and asked “How are you today?” she replied, “I’m fine.” On the way home, she would say, “Well, that doctor really didn’t do anything for me!” How could he? After playing “20 Questions” to try and determine her symptoms, he was reduced to guessing at a diagnosis and treatment. Often he erred on the side of caution and ordered a battery of tests - many of which were unpleasant and probably unnecessary. But it was his only recourse in order to protect his patient – and his reputation.
So often, we simply do not have all of the facts. Can you imagine trying to guess what another person dreamed at night… particularly under duress and the threat of dismemberment and death? Yet every time we assume that we know what another person is thinking, our behavior is virtually the same. There may be physicians who claim they can look at you and tell exactly what is wrong… but I would not want one of them treating me! And I wouldn’t want others to judge me based on their own mind-reading abilities!
So what does this mean for us as Christians? First, we must remember that we don’t always have all of the facts… and without them, we can’t possibly make critical judgments about others. We can’t decisively say, “He is lazy,” or “She’s not really sick,” or most certainly, “This person is not a Christian!” We cannot tell others what to do or how to change certain aspects of their life based on casual observations… or even what we think we know to be the facts. At the end of the day, we must stop looking at other people and saying with self-designated authority, “This is what is wrong with you!”
God calls us to love and encourage others… to offer help and hope… and advice when it is requested. But instead of saying, “This is what you should do,” or “You are so wrong,” we need to say, “If this were my decision, I would do this,” or “Based on what I’ve seen and heard, I would recommend such-and-such approach.” There is also no shame in telling another person, “It appears as if this or that is happening… but I don’t have all of the facts, so I cannot say for sure how you should proceed.” The only person who can see into the heart of another is God Almighty… and we are not in His league!
Like the king who really didn’t want to hear his dream recanted and interpreted, we often are setting others up for failure and disappointment by trying to guess what is happening in certain situations. When we give someone else half of the story and expect them to fill in the gaps and treat us a certain way, we have offered nothing more than a not-so-clever trick of our own. King Nebuchadnezzar was angered by the response… and as a king, he felt he had the authority to wield consequences.
There is only One King in our lives… and we humans are not kings! We must ask God to help us temper our reactions to others… to help us operate in truth and the facts as we know them… and to leave judgment and interpretation to Him. Who have you judged or criticized because of a lack of information? Where have you demanded that people treat you in a certain way based on limited facts? Isn’t it time we operated in truth and facts… and left the intangibles for God to handle? Are you ready to get started?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)