truth

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 (8:26 a.m.)

Buffalo Bill’s – Primm, NV

Blessed Lord,

Good morning. Praise You. I can’t think of anything to say right now that doesn’t seem stilted.

I love You. That was real. And here it is again. The thought I had upon awakening. Lord, talk to me today about speaking the truth with love.

You are such a good and loving God. You’ve provided us with such perfection. And with that said, I absolutely confess to not understanding the whole free will concept.

You created a perfect world and allowed us [a major part of Your creation] to come along and mess it up with ‘the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion’.

Thank You that through Your great love for each of us You sent Jesus to come, teach, suffer, die and rise again that none of us would have to perish (John 3:16).

While on the one hand, I marvel at Your contingency [provision for a future event or circumstance that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty] I often wonder how/why You would go through all the trouble of watching mankind fail again and again throughout the eons of generations. Hmm, could it be the satisfaction it brings You when one of us finally ‘gets’ it and comes running back to You at full speed with arms opened wide? Yeah, I could see how that would make it all worth Your effort!

So, back to ‘speaking the truth with love’ (Ephesians 4:15) - and even here I confess to struggling at knowing what truth really is. Your Word is truth. The Bible Handbook partially describes truth as ‘a revelation of reality as God knows it’.

It goes on to say, “This kind of truth is a dynamic and freeing thing. Men wander about in a world of illusions, guessing at the nature of the universe and struggling with moral judgments, without knowing which of the many competing philosophies of life is best. But when we come to the Word of God we are freed from uncertainty.”

Oh my goodness God! Talk about being “AGOG with God” again! Here I started out with practically nothing to think to say to You and now my mind is jumping all over the place with various degrees of “Aha!”

Continuing with the handbook, “Scripture directs us to reality, pointing us toward good and away from what is wrong and harmful.” Going back up to the first sentence of this special article on truth, “The Hebrew and Greek words for ‘truth’ share a common meaning: each suggests that a thing is ‘true’ when it corresponds to reality.” Resuming in the final paragraph, “In its biblical sense as reality, truth is something which is to be experienced by Jesus’ followers. We are to let His words define the issues of life and to act on His words obediently.”

Pausing here to confess what a tall order letting ‘His words define the issues of life and to act on His words obediently’ appears to be. Ah, but God, what another glimpse of Your grace! Here I was seeking to learn how to speak the truth with love. And there You are knowing that I first must learn what truth and love really are.

John 8:32 told me many years ago “and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Lord, I am asking (asking, seeking, knocking – Matthew 7:7) You right now to continue Your work in me that I will truly be able to live according to Your Word. Paul’s words to the Ephesians (the ones I originally set out seeking this morning) ring especially true for me right now.

Thinking I wanted merely to learn to ‘speak the truth with love’ (4:15) today, I again realize that there is so much more here than meets the eye. Beginning with verse 12, Lord how I ask that You would continue growing me into a righteous woman. “Why is it that He gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for Him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord – yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ.”

All this leading up to the pinnacle of what I ask You this day, “Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth (v.14). Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times – speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly – and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of His body, the Church (15).”

Oh, Dearest Lord God, make it so! I love You so much and I truly want to become all that You have designed me to be. I love You, Lord! So be it! Amen!

(870 words ~ 10:14 a.m.)