Apr 1 - "The Truth"

"Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, 'If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" --- John 8:21-32

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You have heard the comments: "There is no God"; "The Bible is just a bunch of stories written by men."; "Jesus was just a man who walked the earth and said lots of interesting things, but he was not God or the Messiah.".

We have plenty of opportunities every day to hear statements from people who would tell us what we believe is wrong. There are myriad efforts in our world to isolate, marginalize and discount those who profess that God is; Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was, is and is to come; that the Holy Spirit moves through the world and through us even today. Why do you think that, when Christians are portrayed, it is most often in the negative personification of the mindless drone, the revival tent healer, the fundamentalist racist or the the collection-plate-pilfering pseudo-saint? Are these images of Christians being used to build us up or to try and break us down, an attempt to deny the Truth?

Think about how much conflict has occurred over the course of the past two millenia which has been directly related to battles about the Christian faith. Granted, there are certainly a number of instances where people have pursued a perversion of the Truth and perpetrated horrible things. But overall, have not many good victories been won, with Christ as the focus? The creation of democratic societies, governments and countries...the abolishment of slavery and the civil rights movement itself...missions and ministries in the ghettos of Calucutta and in our own streets...all of these things came out of a belief in the Truth.

When we are approached by someone with facts, truth, undeniable evidence...and we don't want to hear or accept it...what do we do? We fight, we avoid, we persecute, we deny, we flee, we do everything possible to push that truth as far away from us as possible. It is easy to see why such a great Truth causes such great conflicts, wars, death and destruction...but also healing, progress and deliverance.

But, when we eventually accept the Truth, how do we feel? We become calm, at peace and most often at one with creation and all that is in it. The Truth flows through us like a soothing river, it surrounds us in a warming light and we are renewed.

So, believe the Truth. Do not let the world convince you it is a lie or a fantasy. Know the Truth and be free.