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 operating in God's truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label operating in God's truth. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for August 9, 2015
Isaiah 29:13-15
The Lord has said: “These people praise me with their words, but they never really think about me. They worship me by repeating rules made up by humans.
So once again I will do things that shock and amaze them, and I will destroy the wisdom of those who claim to know and understand.”
You are in for trouble, if you try to hide your plans from the Lord! Or if you think what you do in the dark can’t be seen.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
“God helps those who help themselves.”
“God wants you to be happy.”
“God will not give you more than you can handle.”
“God works in mysterious ways.”
“If you can envision and believe it, you will receive it.”
“If you work hard enough, you'll be successful.”
“Love the sinner, hate the sin.”
“Money is the root of all evil.”
“This, too, shall pass.”
“To thine own self be true.”
Would it surprise you to learn that NONE of these phrases actually appears in God’s Holy Word? Still, I bet you have heard at least one of these quoted as if the words came directly from the pages of your Bible! This is but a sampling of the ways in which we twist God’s words to suit our own agendas. And by virtue of repetition, several of these “tenets” have become part of the “makeup” of many a Christian’s core beliefs and values.
While some of these phrases did have a somewhat scriptural origin…do you see how they have been manipulated and the meaning has changed? For instance, money is not the root of all evil…but the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10) “causes all kinds of trouble.”
Likewise, some will take the middle section of this scripture passage where Isaiah prophecies that God will shock, amaze, and destroy those who disobey or twist His words to mean that everything from natural disasters to AIDS and other diseases are God’s punishment upon us. If you prayerfully and carefully read this passage, you will see that God is saying that those who turn His words and commands into something that He did not intend will be disappointed and corrected. God will not stand for this! He will not allow His message to be tainted…and He will make things right…but not by bringing plagues and disasters!
Finally, we come to the third section of this passage, in which we are reminded that God knows everything. So whether you talk about others in a derogatory manner in the privacy of your own home – or with people you believe agree with your stance - or you voice your opinions in a public venue…God knows. When you work behind the scenes to create divisiveness toward a group of people or a particular ideology, you are breaking Jesus’ commandment to “love one another.” When you make up the rules as you go along and hope that God will forgive you later…or you think that your Salvation in Jesus has given you a “free pass” or somehow elevated you in status, you have totally blown it!
I know I talk about this a lot. But it seems like a large number of “Christians” today are operating in man-made rules. They are judgmental, pious, unloving, and divisive…and they try to justify it all in the name of Jesus. I believe that God’s heart is breaking over this. I pray that you are not among them. But the only way we can know if we are in God’s will and serving as genuine disciples of Christ is to stay in constant contact with Him…to study His word night and day, and beg God to impress upon our hearts His true meaning…and to sift through and discard the ugliness and confusion that the devil tries to intersperse.
Will you join me in renewing your efforts to operate in God’s truth? Will you rekindle your love for the words and wisdom of our Heavenly Father…and vow to operate only from His vantage point? Are you ready to step out into the Light of Christ and “disciple” confidently from that position? Is this the day that you will begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
The Lord has said: “These people praise me with their words, but they never really think about me. They worship me by repeating rules made up by humans.
So once again I will do things that shock and amaze them, and I will destroy the wisdom of those who claim to know and understand.”
You are in for trouble, if you try to hide your plans from the Lord! Or if you think what you do in the dark can’t be seen.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
“God helps those who help themselves.”
“God wants you to be happy.”
“God will not give you more than you can handle.”
“God works in mysterious ways.”
“If you can envision and believe it, you will receive it.”
“If you work hard enough, you'll be successful.”
“Love the sinner, hate the sin.”
“Money is the root of all evil.”
“This, too, shall pass.”
“To thine own self be true.”
Would it surprise you to learn that NONE of these phrases actually appears in God’s Holy Word? Still, I bet you have heard at least one of these quoted as if the words came directly from the pages of your Bible! This is but a sampling of the ways in which we twist God’s words to suit our own agendas. And by virtue of repetition, several of these “tenets” have become part of the “makeup” of many a Christian’s core beliefs and values.
While some of these phrases did have a somewhat scriptural origin…do you see how they have been manipulated and the meaning has changed? For instance, money is not the root of all evil…but the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10) “causes all kinds of trouble.”
Likewise, some will take the middle section of this scripture passage where Isaiah prophecies that God will shock, amaze, and destroy those who disobey or twist His words to mean that everything from natural disasters to AIDS and other diseases are God’s punishment upon us. If you prayerfully and carefully read this passage, you will see that God is saying that those who turn His words and commands into something that He did not intend will be disappointed and corrected. God will not stand for this! He will not allow His message to be tainted…and He will make things right…but not by bringing plagues and disasters!
Finally, we come to the third section of this passage, in which we are reminded that God knows everything. So whether you talk about others in a derogatory manner in the privacy of your own home – or with people you believe agree with your stance - or you voice your opinions in a public venue…God knows. When you work behind the scenes to create divisiveness toward a group of people or a particular ideology, you are breaking Jesus’ commandment to “love one another.” When you make up the rules as you go along and hope that God will forgive you later…or you think that your Salvation in Jesus has given you a “free pass” or somehow elevated you in status, you have totally blown it!
I know I talk about this a lot. But it seems like a large number of “Christians” today are operating in man-made rules. They are judgmental, pious, unloving, and divisive…and they try to justify it all in the name of Jesus. I believe that God’s heart is breaking over this. I pray that you are not among them. But the only way we can know if we are in God’s will and serving as genuine disciples of Christ is to stay in constant contact with Him…to study His word night and day, and beg God to impress upon our hearts His true meaning…and to sift through and discard the ugliness and confusion that the devil tries to intersperse.
Will you join me in renewing your efforts to operate in God’s truth? Will you rekindle your love for the words and wisdom of our Heavenly Father…and vow to operate only from His vantage point? Are you ready to step out into the Light of Christ and “disciple” confidently from that position? Is this the day that you will begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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