Telling Truth

We must stop being so afraid to proclaim the truth!!

When we tell our testimonies, when we speak of our Christian walk, when we share with others the struggles, why are we so afraid to tell the truth?

I’ve seen it over and over, I’ve even done it myself.

We don’t want to discourage anyone, we’re afraid they won’t come to Christ if they know the truth.

So we fudge a little, we fib a little, we exaggerate a little to make it all a little nicer, a little easier to swallow.

The truth is that the walk of a true disciple of Christ is a difficult walk, fraught with danger, filled with hard circumstances, complete with persecution from without and self-doubt from within!!

The truth is that renewing your mind to His way instead of doing what you want, dying to self to live for others, humbling yourself and esteeming others more highly, taking the back seat instead of the front, denying pleasures of the flesh instead of indulging in them are really, really difficult things to do!

Jesus not only never said it would be easy, He made it clear it would be TREMENDOUSLY HARD!

That it would mean a lifetime of being hated by the world we live in, persecuted by our neighbors and even those we call friends.  Stalked by an evil spiritual being filled with darkness we can’t even begin to imagine, whose only desire is to kill and destroy us, our lives, our loved ones!

That there would be trials, but alongside them would be great triumphs.

That we can expect to be targets but the shield of faith would protect us from every weapon formed against us.

That lies would bombard us but the TRUTH would set us free.

That apart from trusting and believing in Him we would be helpless, discouraged and inept; but He would be our hope, our encouragement and that through Him only, we would be able to do everything we need to do.  Everything He asks us to do.

That to our every question He would be our answer.

Truly, Jesus is Who He told us He is.

He is the Way to our joy, peace and the love we all crave so deeply.

He is the Truth we search high and low for and yearn for in our hearts.

He is the LIFE, eternal life, we desire above all other things.

The walk as a disciple of Christ is the hardest, best, scariest, most joyful, toughest and most wonderful walk any of us will ever experience.

BE BRAVE! BE TRUTHFUL! BE LOVING!  

Tell others that Jesus loves them, died for them, was raised from the dead for their redemption and they are called to take up THEIR cross, pay the cost and follow Him to a LIFE ETERNAL that is the only rewarding ending to this physical life on earth.

His love is well worth the cost He paid so we could have it, and that is no lie!

You Can't Handle the TRUTH!

We dress it down, cover it up, smooth it over and do whatever it takes to make it easier to swallow.

The truth is that we can't handle the raw, unvarnished, unimpeachable, immovable, immutable eternal truth.  Because truth isn't our version of a story, or how something is presented to us.  It most certainly isn't "relative" or personal to each individual.  It isn't what you think it is or what I think it is.

In fact, it isn't an "it" at all.  TRUTH is a PERSON.  That person is Jesus; the Christ, the Counselor, the Savior, the Deliverer, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Only Wise God, the Way, the Life

and He is the TRUTH.

No truth is found outside of Jesus.

We can deny the truth, but we can't change it.  You can ignore it but it exists eternally with or without your acknowledgement.  You can heap abuse on it but it stands proud and tall.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 

(John 1:1-5)

It seems so simple really.  And quite unbelievable.  Unbelievable because we - you and I - could never, would never give so freely and completely and unselfishly of ourselves as Jesus did for us.  We can't because we are sinful weak flesh.  He can and did because He is the Holy, Just, Righteous, Gracious, Merciful Creator of all heaven and all and everything in it.

We can argue that there are contradictions in the Bible - oh wait, no.  I won't argue with you, because I can see for myself that there are apparent contradictions.  I remember that the bible is a translation made by men who may or may not have rearranged a few words to suit their own theology.  You may even "disprove" the Bible or parts of the Bible.  Again, mans translations, what can you do?

BUT  YOU  CANNOT  EVER  TOUCH  THE  TRUTH

It remains unchanged, sometimes unfathomable but always faithful to those who will simply accept it.  God created.  We need Him.  Our need is so overwhelming and all pervasive that we cannot even see it sometimes.  He Loves Us.  So He came in the form of Man, Jesus, the Son of God, to redeem mankind from Sin.

You don't have to join a monastery, live in a cave give away everything you have or behave in any silly, undignified manner.

You just call on His Name:  JESUS

and He answers.  Look for Him, as He is the Answer, and you will be found.  That's His promise.

Every year at this time we encourage you to join with us and countless others around the world in consuming DAILY the Words of Life that will transform, inspire and uplift you.  Visit the Daily Reading page, print out your calendar and begin reading.  We eagerly await your tales of change and growth!  We know they will occur, because our lives have changed so drastically as a result and continue to change each day, each year.

MAY GOD HIMSELF BLESS AND KEEP YOU UNTIL THE DAY OF THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF HIS SON JESUS THE CHRIST TO GATHER HIS SAINTS. 

HAPPY  NEW  YEAR  FROM  OUR  HEARTS  TO  YOURS

2015 - LIGHT  IT  UP!

The Answer is NOT a Cliche'

Have you ever experienced a time when a thing that seemed to be accepted and understood by just about everyone else, you just couldn't agree with?  Somehow, the way you saw it, the way you heard it, it just wasn't as right and wonderful as everyone else seemed to think it was. 

That's how the very popular "WWJD?" movement struck me. (What Would Jesus Do?)  I tried to see it as everyone else did.  I do agree that we are supposed to be light and salt to the world.  We are supposed to strive to be like Jesus.  We certainly can't go wrong if we think about how Jesus would handle things and then try to handle them the same or in a similar manner.  

Except.....  except that we are not in the same circumstances or the same culture as Jesus when He walked the earth.  But that wasn't really the issue with this.  My biggest issue was "Yea, but Jesus is DIVINE in nature, and I am sinful in nature!"  His thoughts are so far above my ability to even think at all!  His ways are so far above my ability to grasp the enormity of them!  My issue wasn't trying to think about how Jesus would do things; my issue was about people with a sinful nature, trying to behave as if divine in nature. That they would eventually get so discouraged at failing to get it right that they would just GIVE UP ALL TOGETHER.  

My point of view is that we need all the encouragement we can get, and I'll take that encouragement every time.  But for it to be of lasting value that results in real growth that is sustainable and transforming it has to be of the Holy Spirit.  Our thinking isn't going to hit that mark on a regular basis. Taking into consideration that in spite of Paul's exhortation that the scriptures aren't of any "private" interpretation, the fact is that every one of us interprets for ourselves at some point in some way, what we "think" the stories we read in the bible mean and how we "think" they apply.  There's just no getting around that fact.  We've all got some things right, and we've all got some things wrong.  And none of us can truly say for absolute certain which is which.  It's all opinions.  This is why there are "all those denominations" by the way! One small doctrinal belief here, one divergent doctrinal belief there and a whole new religion is born! 

There is an answer.  It isn't a cliche' intended for bracelets and T-Shirts and necklaces and stickers and easy answers to tough questions.  It isn't a slogan or motto or mantra to chant.  

It's TRUTH.  Its the WAY.  Its LIFE.

It is a "HE" and His name is Jesus.  JESUS IS THE ANSWER.

No matter what the question, the dilemma, the problem or the issue.  Jesus is the answer in every form and fashion, without fail.  Every time.  All the time.  (John 1)

You need a word in due season?  JESUS IS THE WORD

You need a friend who understands?  JESUS IS YOUR CLOSEST and MOST LOYAL FRIEND

You need a whole new life or just some changes made?  JESUS IS LIFE

Whatever the need; the answer is JESUS.  He came in the form of a babe, fully divine and fully human NOT so that He could relate to us as human beings.  He already did relate. He has always related perfectly.  He created us.  He thought us up, not the other way around.  He understands us to the end that even the thoughts and intentions of our hearts are not hid from Him even though even we ourselves don't always understand ourselves! (Hebrew 4:12)

No, He didn't come as a baby so He could relate to us.  He came as a baby so WE would be able to relate to HIM!  So we would understand that He understands us, that He knows how hard it is to know what the right thing to do is and choose it each and every time.  He wanted us to be able to relate to Him so we would call on His name and trust in Him.

We are to let His Word dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16).  

His word tells us to walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7)

When we call on His Name, we are Saved (Acts 2:21)

When we submit to Him and yield to His Holy Spirit, then we will walk in agreement, yoked together with the Creator of all Heaven and Earth, and find that no matter what we face, He is the Answer we need, want and can count on every time without fail.  It requires our submission and yielding and letting and walking and calling because He never barrels past our free will to choose.  We choose Him and discover we get EVERYTHING ELSE along with it!  

And that's not a cliche'.  That is the TRUTH because He is the TRUTH!  

Here's to a New Year filled with TRUTH, LIFE and the WAY for all of us both in this life and ETERNALLY.