I am thoughtful today about the implications of truth. Being truthful is something is commanded to us by our Lord. It is not easy. It is frequently hard and can bring on all sorts of implications, confusion and heartache. I think that it is easy to fall into the trap that lying is really the "easy way out" and so we lie. Sometimes to avoid hurting someone. Sometimes to avoid hurting ourselves. But there is a problem with this.
It NEVER works. People lie because they want to avoid pain of some sort. Whether for themselves or people they love. But have you ever noticed that lying ends up causing far more pain than you would have ever thought? There is a reason that we are commanded not to lie. It is because the truth is infinitely more valuable that a lie ever could hope to be.
I spent many of my early adult years living in lies. Lies about who I was, what I was doing, who I was with and how I felt about things. It's exhausting and yet people live their lives that way every day because it is "easier". It's Satan's lie to you, my friend. Living in lies is NOT easier, less painful or ultimately more likely to make you happy.
In my life group, a verse was brought up this week from Proverbs 23:23a which reads "Buy the truth and do not sell it" (NIV). When I heard that verse it immediately brought to mind the thought that truth is not free. It costs something.
Truth has a cost, but let me tell you, lies have a cost of their own and it is astoundingly higher. It is not easy to live fully in the truth but that is what God asks of us. Truth can be found through Christ alone. There is no truth outside of Him and I think we often forget that.
I know in this day and age it is more politically correct to assure everyone that they "have their own truth". I am guilty of using that phrase in a former life to assure people that I would not force my beliefs on them. And while I still do not intend to force my beliefs onto others that doesn't mean that I will hide behind them either. The truth is that you can't live well without Jesus. In fact, you really aren't living at all. You are dead in your sin. Before you come to understand the glory that is faith and relationship with Christ you will not understand. It must be experienced. It must be the work of the Spirit living in you, showing you the truth that your human eyes are incapable of seeing. Jesus is the only way to heaven (more truth). I make no apologies for this.
And yet, faith in Christ is not without cost. It means that I am forfeiting my wants and desires for those of Christ and His truth. And guess what? It's totally worth it. I am willing to pay the cost of denying myself and taking up my cross if it means that I may live in the truth that I am saved and forgiven.
I don't know where you are on your faith journey, but I hope you have trusted in Christ to save you from your sins. Life with God in control is so much better than anything you can create for yourself. It is a simple accepting of Christ's sacrifice for you and acknowledgment of your sins and it will change your life forever if you let it. I hope that has happened for you. I pray for it, dear reader. It is as essential as the air you breathe in order to live any type of life worth living. If you have never considered placing your faith in Jesus, please do. I will be praying that the truth of His grace and mercy will enter your life in a way that leaves you radically changed.
It NEVER works. People lie because they want to avoid pain of some sort. Whether for themselves or people they love. But have you ever noticed that lying ends up causing far more pain than you would have ever thought? There is a reason that we are commanded not to lie. It is because the truth is infinitely more valuable that a lie ever could hope to be.
I spent many of my early adult years living in lies. Lies about who I was, what I was doing, who I was with and how I felt about things. It's exhausting and yet people live their lives that way every day because it is "easier". It's Satan's lie to you, my friend. Living in lies is NOT easier, less painful or ultimately more likely to make you happy.
In my life group, a verse was brought up this week from Proverbs 23:23a which reads "Buy the truth and do not sell it" (NIV). When I heard that verse it immediately brought to mind the thought that truth is not free. It costs something.
Truth has a cost, but let me tell you, lies have a cost of their own and it is astoundingly higher. It is not easy to live fully in the truth but that is what God asks of us. Truth can be found through Christ alone. There is no truth outside of Him and I think we often forget that.
I know in this day and age it is more politically correct to assure everyone that they "have their own truth". I am guilty of using that phrase in a former life to assure people that I would not force my beliefs on them. And while I still do not intend to force my beliefs onto others that doesn't mean that I will hide behind them either. The truth is that you can't live well without Jesus. In fact, you really aren't living at all. You are dead in your sin. Before you come to understand the glory that is faith and relationship with Christ you will not understand. It must be experienced. It must be the work of the Spirit living in you, showing you the truth that your human eyes are incapable of seeing. Jesus is the only way to heaven (more truth). I make no apologies for this.
And yet, faith in Christ is not without cost. It means that I am forfeiting my wants and desires for those of Christ and His truth. And guess what? It's totally worth it. I am willing to pay the cost of denying myself and taking up my cross if it means that I may live in the truth that I am saved and forgiven.
I don't know where you are on your faith journey, but I hope you have trusted in Christ to save you from your sins. Life with God in control is so much better than anything you can create for yourself. It is a simple accepting of Christ's sacrifice for you and acknowledgment of your sins and it will change your life forever if you let it. I hope that has happened for you. I pray for it, dear reader. It is as essential as the air you breathe in order to live any type of life worth living. If you have never considered placing your faith in Jesus, please do. I will be praying that the truth of His grace and mercy will enter your life in a way that leaves you radically changed.
No comments:
Post a Comment