Monday, July 27, 2009

Freedom in Truth-Part 1




There are 2 parts to this verse in John 8:32 one is truth and the other is freedom. Today I want to focus on the truth and next time I’ll focus on freedom.

There is something magical about truth. When we know it, it changes things. We can ignore it, we can twist it, and we can only tell half of it, but truth stands alone-it is what it is, the truth. Truth has a way of changing our perspective, motives, actions, attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors if we are open and most of all willing to hear the truth, accept the truth, share truth, and respond to the truth.

Truth should be our foundation and in our DNA. We should stand on the truth, by the truth, and for the truth. What we say should be true, how we treat others should be based on truth, and how we live our lives should be based on truth. We would have a lot less conflict, relationship issues, personal problems, and turmoil if people would simply practice truth telling and living by the truth and seeking the truth.

If you want to know if something is true, go to the source. We would have a lot less gossip, misunderstandings, confusion, hurt feelings, resentment, and third party involvements if people would simply go to the source before they form an opinion, make a judgment, or base their decisions on what they think they know or what they’ve heard that may or may not be truth. We cannot always believe everything we hear, even if we might trust the person who’s telling it, they may not have all the information and then the endless circle of miscommunication continues if we do not go directly to the source.

If you want to know what God has to say about something, you go to the truth, the Word of God. People have a lot of beliefs, opinions, and convictions in their lives based on tradition, what they’ve grown up being taught, or their own selfish agenda and none of it has to do with God or His Word. If God doesn’t say it in His word, then it’s not our place to add to it or take away from it so that it will fit into our life the way we want it to.

Truth. It is what we should always tell people. Many times we want to hide the truth to protect our own pride and selfish behavior. We might tell half the truth or bits and pieces of the truth so that others think we are telling the whole truth, yet we are not even telling the truth to ourselves. Many times we go to great lengths to minimize our behavior, justify our actions, or reason with ourselves and God that we are telling the truth, but we are simply compromising it and abusing it to save ourselves.

Truth. It will set you free. I have learned a lot about that the past couple months. I’ve learned if I’m honest with myself it changes me. I’ve learned that if I base my life on God’s truth it changes my thoughts, my attitude, and my behaviors. If I live faithfully by the truth of God no matter what happens, what people say about me or to me, or how people treat me, I know in God’s time and God’s way truth always has a way of coming out. That is true freedom to not be burdened by lies, what is false, deception, or misguided half-truths. Truth is true freedom!

No comments: