To Tell the Truth

Happy Sunday!

"Am I now your enemy, just because I told you the truth?"(Galatians 4:16 CEV).

There's a GEICO insurance commercial that portrays President Abraham Lincoln and his wife in conversation.  She asks, "Does this dress make my backside look big?  He has always been known for honesty.  He struggles to answer but does gesture that it may be making her look bigger.  She appears to quickly walk off. 

In the scripture above, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Galatians.  Deceivers have crept in to the church with false doctrines.  At one point in the letter he even says, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the TRUTH, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?"(Galatians 3:1 KJV).  Pretty strong isn't it?  He urges them with truth and his testimony.  He loves them and only wants the best for them.  When we truly love others we will tell them the truth.  If we don't love them or if we hate them, we don't care what may become of them.  Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another."(John 13:35 KJV).

Many in our society are full of lies.  This is nothing new.  As Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is NO NEW THING under the sun."(KJV).  Jesus dealt with liars during His earthly ministry, "You don’t understand the things I say, because you cannot accept my teaching. Your father is the devil. You belong to him. You want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning. He was always against the truth. There is no truth in him. He is like the lies he tells. Yes, the devil is a liar. He is the father of lies. I am telling you the truth, and that’s why you don’t believe me."(John 8:43-45 Easy-to-Read Version).

How can I know the Truth?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked.  Jesus prayed, "Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your WORD is consecrating truth."(John 17:17 Message).  We can know the truth by knowing the Word of God.  Don't miss this.  The word "know" is often the word used for intimacy.  In Genesis 4:1 it says, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain"(KJV). We must spend time in the Word, get to know it better, and store up what we learn for the future.  Along with the Word we have help!  Jesus said, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall TEACH you all things, and BRING all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."(John 14:26 KJV).  That's GOOD News!

Love and prayers, Cynthia