Living in the Truth

Chuckle: To her doctor: "I have metal fillings in my teeth. My refrigerator magnets keep pulling me into the kitchen. That's why I can't lose weight."

Quote: "The commandment of absolute truthfulness is really only another name for the fullness of discipleship." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

LIVE IN THE TRUTH

"How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father" (2 John 4 NLT).

Have you thought about all of the places and circumstances in your life where you take truth for granted? When you slide your credit card, you expect truth to prevail and be charged the proper amount for your purchases. When you put fuel into your car, you expect it to be true that you're getting a full measure of gasoline as indicated on the pump. We expect the truth even when there is no easy way for us to verify the truth. As a society, we demand truth in advertising, transparent pricing information, accurate lists of ingredients, and demand compensation when our expectations are not met.

If we expect truth in our relationships, it should come as no surprise that God wants His children to walk and live in the truth of His Word. We should never intentionally distort God's truth either by our words or our actions. God's truth is eternal and never needs updating or revision. It is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matthew 24:35 NIV). ". . . , but the word of the Lord stands forever" (1 Peter 1:25 NIV). "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"  (Hebrews 13:8 NIV).

An old music teacher picked up a hammer and struck a tuning fork; then said to his friend as the note sounded across the room; "That is A today, it was A five thousand years ago, and it will be A ten thousand years from now. The soprano upstairs sings off-key, the tenor across the hall flats on his high notes, and the piano downstairs is out of tune." He struck the note again and said, "But that is A, my friend, and that's the good news of the day."

In our passage, the apostle John expressed his delight in finding Christians following the truth of God's Word. They were members of the church to which he was writing. He went on to warn them against false teachers who were distorting the truth and discrediting Christianity. If we live with integrity, holiness, and a penchant for absolute truth as God defines it, we will be living in truth. Jesus said, "if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (from sin). . . So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:31-32, 36 NIV).

“Men turn this way and that in their search for new sources of comfort and inspiration, but the enduring truths are to be found in the word of God.” –Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

Love, Jerry & Dotse