Every Saturday we have a family Zoom call, we refer to this as “family bible study” and although we read a devotional from Spurgeon, it’s mostly about staying connected as a family from all across the midwest, and the wild west of America.
I guess I shouldn’t say it’s mostly about staying connected, it’s more like family staying connected in Christ. When it needs to be canceled, I feel a deepening pain and longing. When one family or even one person is missing, my heart aches for that connection. Yesterday my heart ached as three members were out, but that’s how life works, as the patriarch. All my life I have lived to provide reasons to challenge myself in biblical areas, my boys, my students, my co-Christians… It’s my greatest joy to teach, sometimes I need to be taught…
So truth is one of my favorite topics and it usually stems from a deeper topic like election (also known as predestination), I don’t back down… and neither do my boys… truth is important, in fact a man in history asked a great question once that seems to be getting asked a lot these days, and I mean specifically, this morning….
Please allow me tell you a story:
There was once a great and powerful ruler, he held in his hands the power of death, and what I mean is he had a position of governmental power to put anyone to death under his authority. Every ruler knows, there is always another over them, somehow and someway… Well this day was a bit different, it was the end of a long week of officials complaints, demands from citizens and he was simply tired, so he went home. He was abruptly recalled to the chair where he makes public decisions and declarations, “A man is causing trouble”. So off he goes, perhaps kissing his wife on the way out the door and getting her input about this ongoing troublemaker.
This ruler was face to face with the troublemaker and asked a simple question “Truth? What is Truth?”… Imagine asking what truth is? Was it because he did not understand “truth”? Did he believe like today that you can make up your own truth? I guess I may never understand. The ironic part is this: “This ruler asked the greatest authority to ever walk the face of the earth on the topic of truth “What is truth?”” I don’t think he was expecting the wisest answer to this basic question. The authority has no response recorded, but what led to the question is revealed and that quote is this: “For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth.”
Imagine asking the greatest authority ever on truth the question “what is truth?” You can read about this story in the book of John chapter eighteen, verses 33- 40.
My family didn’t read this passage yesterday, but they live it daily. We Hazzards believe there is a Truth and we don’t make it up but live in subjection to it. So Imagine my great joy when my boys are willing to lock horns with me and wrestle the scriptures with me… like the days of old when the wise men of the city would meet up at the gates daily to “argue” and come to conclusions that are good and just to faithfully operate the city in a manner that is good for all people… Not just the elite.
Truth matters, I heard the definition of truth once explained this way : “Truth is reality as seen by GOD” But there is more to truth than seeing reality… not really! But there are certain aspects of reality “Truth” we should be aware of. Truth means not lying, being deceitful and even more, not allowing another person to believe a lie, not even a white lie. If you allow a lie, that’s your heart not telling the Truth… this is just as evil as actively telling a lie… You don’t believe me? Tell me what is more painful: “Your best friend lying to you about an affair and saying there is no affair or your best friend allowing you to believe there is no affair? (I can tell you the answer, I lived that! Before I married my beautiful, trustworthy Jess. The hurt is the same!”)
So on this day, Pick TRUTH, It is always the better option!
In peace and Love, C