April 30, 2020 -- Psalm 119:160 -- Spotting the Truth
/The sum of your word is truth,
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
Psalm 119:160 English Standard Version
Since I have a lot of extra time on my hands I have been watching things on the internet on which I normally wouldn’t spend my time. For example, I watched a couple of instructional videos on how to spot a liar—the first taught by a former FBI trainer and the second taught by a former CIA trainer who specialized in this and was teaching retail employees to spot a liar. The retail employees would use these skills as they conducted job interviews or when dealing with a suspected thief. Fascinating stuff. It makes me realize how our lives are filled with half-truths and lies.
Little wonder then that non-Christians are suspicious of Christianity—where we as Christians claim we are following Jesus Who declared: “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:7. Many will wonder “Can I trust Jesus?” Such thinking is heavily influenced by the culture we live in which itself is saturated in lies and constantly speaks against Christianity as the sole source of Truth.
One way in which Christianity is so different from all other religions and world philosophies is our acknowledgement that Jesus is perfect. Followers of Jesus measure their lives by His standard and His rules spelled out in the Bible. We fail. We neglect to do the good He calls us to do. We purposefully do things contrary to His holiness. The righteous rules of God provide for this—we are called to turn from our wicked ways, confess them, and receive forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
The power of the cross is in the fact that all men and women and children are sinners. We are all on an even playing field—one filled with liars, and wicked people of all stripes and kinds. Christians are those who by the Word of God see themselves as sinners in need of a Savior. Christians are those who know just how wrong they are and how immeasurably great is the mercy and love of God Who has provided for us the way of salvation—rescue from our ourselves, our sin-filled world and the lies of the devil and his demonic army.
With tremendous joy and hope Christians know that one day all sin, all lies, all-wrong doing will be fully exposed. Those who turned to Jesus in this life will see how fully horrendous their sins were and will more fully bless and honour and praise Jesus for standing in our place as the sinner-bearer, the One Who took our place at the cross. Those who refused Jesus in this life will on the Day of Judgment face the full wrath of God—His just and perfect anger against sin. The truth of God the Judge of all the earth will be fully revealed and it will be terrible.
Now is the day of salvation. Now is the opportunity to hear and respond to the prompting of the Spirit moving you to listen and obey the voice of Jesus. Pick up your bible. Find a Christian whose walk you admire and ask your questions. Be prepared to grow and learn There is no adventure like it. The sum of God’s Word is Truth and it is glorious and it is freedom and it is joy.
Jesus, Lamb of God Who has taken away the sin of the world, blessed be Your Name. Great and perfect is Your love. This day we pray for our dear friends and family members who do not acknowledge You, change their hearts by Your word of Truth. Let us experience the great joy of seeing such come to know You and delight in You by our testimony and our life’s walk with You. Jesus, send Your Spirit so that missionaries and evangelists will see many come to confess their sins and acknowledge You as their King. Lion of Judah, Jesus Conqueror of sin and death and the grave may our dedication to You bring honour and praise to our Father in heaven. Triune and blessed God, we know there is such glory in store for all who believe, increase our faith and passion, our zeal and dedication, so that the temptations of this world fade and the blessedness of following You prompts us to ever greater devotion and acts of love. Amen.
