To Tell the Truth

How many things do you hear in a day that are questionable or just not true? Our culture could stand to be corrected on many a score.

I was chilling with Reid after school watching Hercules when I hear this, "How do you kill a god?" Hmmuuh?....wait a minute! Red flag. Falsehood. I was glad to be in earshot and slip in the edification for the record, "Reid, we believe in the one true God who was and is and is to come. He existed before the beginning of time and is Alpha and Omega." I could have gone on. Actually, He wasn't created and so can't be killed. Death entered the world as a consequence to our disobedience in Eden. Further, God defeated death when Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again. "Just so you know."

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, " who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:7-9

Foundational Christian principles (aka the Bible) are no longer be gleaned by osmosis. In this day and age, the tenets of Christianity are not in the underlying fabric of our society. Quite the opposite. One has to go out of their way to learn the gospel. It is not in school curriculum, not assumed by our leaders, not foundational to the way business is done.

A friend of mine was carpooling a 5th grade classmate of her daughters. Having heard a reference they made, the affluent, educated girl inquired unabashedly, "What's the Bible?"

My niece recently found herself surrounded by misled followers of scientology. She'd leave the stifling room to call or text me at points when the propaganda became thickest. A check in her spirit told her something was awry. As she became inundated with lies and spiritual mumbo gumbo, we unraveled them by phone. In every instance, the Bible had a counterpoint to the lies they were putting forth. I found myself grateful for years of study and sound teaching to call upon with her. Informed or not, I believe the God-shaped vacuum in each of us resonates with truth and rests peacefully when it's presented.

I'd like to lay a Pervasive Developmental Disorder diagnosis on our society when I see disregard for the authority of Scripture and genuine ignorance of what the Bible claims. A child with PDD doesn't just wake up from a nap knowing how to smile; turn 2 and begin talking on cue; or maybe ever understand how feelings get hurt. He needs to be intentionally taught every single thing--from the meaning "yes" to how to read facial expressions to modesty. In raising Reid, I have found that stating the obvious in a calm, voice with no affect or judgment as if he were a visitor from another planet works amazingly well. I can't blame him for not knowing or for the way he learns. What I can do is fill in the blanks and tell him what he needs to know to live here. Likewise, maybe what the world needs now--is just a little bit of truth sweet truth.

" Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:16-18

Being an authentic Christian requires knowing what the Bible says well enough to articulate it to others in the teachable moments. The world around me seems increasingly full of lies, which no one recognizes as such. Like checking for counterfeit money, we need to be holding a lot of things up to the light of Scripture...and then showing people how it pales in comparison to the real article.

One of the best exercises of writing this blog for me, has been the habit of selecting a verse for each post. As I make a practice of doing that, it's amazing how the Bible really does have something to say about every circumstance. I'd love to host a show where the audience would throw out a scenario and some star (but who?) would name a relevant text from God's Word. It would be educational!

"my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11