Ever since I retired 8 years ago, and especially since my wife Claudia died 22 months ago, I have wrestled with the question “What does God want me to do with the rest of my time here on earth (maybe 15-20 healthy years, hopefully)?And that’s a good question for all of us to consider, no matter how old you are!

Many people my age assume that because we have had a lot of experiences in life and have gone through many trials, we automatically have gained great wisdom and insight, and therefore the world really needs and of course, WANTS to hear our wisdom and opinions! Sometimes that might be true, if we are fortunate, but probably not as much as we might think, lol! And frankly, I know many people who are older (and younger) who may have a lot of knowledge about certain things, but they lack wisdom, discernment, and common sense, and are blown back and forth by every new opinion they hear from their favorite sources on the internet, on cable news, or  at college! With social media today, it’s easy for everybody to have an opinion on anything and everything, and every human opinion is just that, an opinion. It may have some truth, or no truth, it may be a good idea or a foolish one, but BIBLICALLY, FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE, no human opinion that disagrees with what God has said is true, no matter how many other humans praise that opinion and agree with it! Now, the majority of people in our culture would reject that thought, and our present culture is actually very anti-Christian in what it emphasizes on most issues today.

We live in a time very similar to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament when the book of Judges was written. It says in Judges 17:6 “In those days Israel had no King: everyone did as they saw fit”.  They had long ago rejected God’s rule over their lives and nation, they wouldn’t listen to prophets or judges, and they had no King to rule them. So they did whatever seemed good to them. Like today when people say “my truth” works for me, and “your truth” works for you. Of course there is no real “truth” with that statement; it’s just believing what makes you feel comfortable and justifies any lifestyle you want without feeling guilty.

SO, for the rest of my life, I’ve decided to continue to focus on what is GOD’S truth as revealed in the Bible, through the leading of the Holy Spirit. God has spoken directly or indirectly to every topic of debate on our culture, and I’m going to try to share His truth through teaching groups, writing, and just casual conversations with others. (And all the while enjoying all the other joys of life God has granted us, such as enjoying family times, golfing, boating, beaches, going south in the winter, good meals, friends, etc.! Life is meant to be enjoyed, with God and each other!)

SO, FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED, HOW DO WE DISCERN GOD’S TRUTH IN ORDER TO LIVE BY IT AND SHARE IT IN A LOVING, HUMBLE WAY?

• BEGIN WITH A BIBLICAL DEFINTION OF TRUTH!

In his excellent new book “Kingdom Values: Character>Chaos”, Dr. Tony Evans explains it this way:

“Truth is an absolute standard by which by which reality is measured. Truth is God’s view on any subject matter. Truth lives outside of you. In other words, if it’s true then it doesn’t matter if you agree with it. It doesn’t matter if you feel it or don’t. If it’s truth, it is, because God said so.”

SO, THAT IS WHY MY OPINON DOESN’T REALLY MATTER AND NEITHER DOES YOURS. WHAT REALLY MATTERS, FIRST AND FORMOST, IS WHAT DOES GOD SAY ON ANY SUBJECT!

• RECOGNIZE THE VALUE JESUS PUT ON TRUTH! 

Not only did Jesus claim to be THE TRUTH himself, he said the truth is what will protect us and enable us to be transformed. In praying for his present and future followers (us), he prayed:

¹⁵  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  -John 17:15-17 (NIV)
To sanctify means to set apart and transform us. Truth from God is the agent that will change us to become more like Jesus, and his Holy Spirit will empower us to make that change.

• RECOGNIZE THAT GOD’S THOUGHTS ARE PERFECT AND BETTER THAN OUR BEST IDEAS AS HUMANS, AND THEREFORE UNDERSTAND THAT FOLLOWING HIS THOUGHTS ARE WHAT WILL LEAD TO THE BEST POSSIBLE LIFE AND OUTCOME FOR US!

⁸  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. ⁹  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ¹⁰  As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹  so is 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 55:8-11 (NIV)

A true biblical perspective, God’s perspective, means understanding that God created the universe, he created us as marvelous creatures in his own image, but he is God and we are not! And because sin affects us all, our very best thoughts and ideas are light-years away from his thoughts. So, it’s imperative that we study the Bible and learn what God’s truth is, and be able to share that truth in love, humbly, even though it will offend and even anger some who don’t want to hear what God says. As Tony Evans said in his book, “No amount of ignoring the truth is going to set people free from the bondage of lies.  We are called to speak the truth in love. We are not called to support a lie in love.”

• FINALLY, AS KINGDOM DISCIPLES, LEARN TO ABIDE IN JESUS AND KNOW AND LIVE OUT HIS WORD!

Let’s be honest… sometimes we believers do not do a great job of sharing the truth! We may be good at quoting a Bible verses here and there, but we also can come across as condemning or judgmental if we don’t share the truth in humility and with true love for others who are lost and confused. Jesus says in John 8 that we need to “abide” in him (The Word) and also abide in the written Word of God, the Bible.

³¹  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”-  John 8:31-32 (ESV)

To abide means to “hang out, stay, or remain in”. It’s possible to learn the truth in the Bible but not live it out in your own life. And when you’re not “hanging out with Jesus” in your own lifestyle, it can come across as pretty shallow when you try to tell others the truth of Jesus that will likely be a challenge to them as well. The best witness we all have to the truth is to share how God has changed us for the better through the years and, step after step, set us free from the bondage to sin and the lies of this world. And then humbly admit that we are not yet close to being like Jesus, but we will continue to abide in his love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness, knowing that he will never stop loving us even when we stumble from time to time.

So relax, hang out with Jesus daily and study his Word, let his Spirit transform you from the inside out, and let the truth set you free. Don’t seek to share your “opinion”, but rather seek to share Jesus’s truth and love that will set us all free. Then humbly, and thankfully, share what God has done for you as you share his truth with others! Be the Kingdom man or woman that God calls you to be, now and into an amazing future with Jesus forever!

In chapter 2 of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, he encourages us to live in a way that is very counter-cultural to what is encouraged today (and in any generation, for that matter)! He tells us to be like Jesus: to be humble, to serve others without complaining, and to put other’s interests before our own! In contrast, the message we hear today is something like this: “It’s all about you, your feelings, and what you want in life!  You have all kinds of human rights, so fight for and grab the life you deserve, by any means necessary. If you hurt others along the way, it doesn’t matter, because you’re a great person and you deserve the best.”

Paul contends that when you surrender your life to Jesus and live like he did, you will actually find joy, peace, contentment, and a bigger purpose for life than you will ever find trying to follow the deceptive, clever lies we hear screaming at us every day in our culture!

SO, HOW DO WE POSSIBLY BEGIN TO LIVE LIKE JESUS IN THIS VERY ANTI-CHRISTIAN SOCIETY?

Paul gives us some very specific guidelines on how to live a life like Jesus, the life we were created for, and the life we long for in the deep recesses of our heart!

• This life begins with being part of a supportive Christian community!

¹  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,²  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. – Philippians 2:1-2 (NIV)

Sorry, but you can’t have encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, compassion, and be one in spirit and purpose by yourself! There is no such thing as a “lone-ranger” Christian, and reading your Bible every day and trying to serve God by yourself will not work for very long. You will be chewed up and spit out quickly by a culture that is anti-God and prides itself on believing their human solutions and wisdom are somehow better than God’s (which is the very core of what sin is!)

SO, you need to be part of a local church! Jesus established the church as his living BODY on earth, and this is the way he will change the world and usher in his coming Kingdom! He will not ultimately change the world through passing laws in Congress, by decisions of the Supreme Court, and or by throwing billions (or trillions) of dollars uselessly at every problem. He will change the world by transforming the lives and hearts of his followers. And those followers will then share the love, forgiveness, and hope for an eternal future with Jesus to the world. Many will believe and accept God’s gift and enter into his Kingdom. And those who reject Jesus and his gift will be separated from him forever.

So, join a church that believes the Bible is God’s Word, and teaches that God’s Spirit can change your life and make you into a new person!  (I know… churches are full of hypocrites and imperfect people. Don’t worry, you will fit right in!)

• Be like Jesus! Put others’ interests above your own!

³  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! ⁹  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   -Philippians 2:3-11 (NIV)

Paul tells us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit”. Wow, if our culture actually followed this principle, most of our politicians, pundits, professors, “experts”, scientists, doctors, and even some pastors would resign or be fired! Most of our culture today is about groups of people trying to gain money, power, and control over everybody else so they can advance their beliefs and agenda. They always claim to do things to benefit others and advance society, but it usually ends up benefitting them and their agenda the most. This is not new, and sadly has been the history of most governments and “elite” leaders throughout the history of fallen humanity.

Jesus, on the other hand, was God himself, but he loved us so much that he was willing to temporarily give up his rights of glory and power as God in order to obey his Father and humbly serve us, give his life in our place, and enable us through his death and resurrection to be forgiven, redeemed, and restored to the hope of a wonderful future forever with him!

In today’s culture, we constantly hear talk of “human rights” and people demanding and creating more of them. We debate fiercely the rights found in the Constitution & Bill of Rights, as well as other rights recently declared and created by humans. Many of these rights are good and helpful to all people, while others seem more designed to benefit a particular group and their agenda. But ALL of there are “human” rights, created by humans, and are NOT God-given rights, as much as some want to claim to justify their position!

In the Biblical narrative, God gives us life and all the blessings of life as a GIFT, not as a right we deserve. He first breathed his life and spirit into our bodies in Genesis 2:7, and then Jesus came to give and restore an abundant, eternal quality of life to us through his resurrection. Just as Jesus gave up his rights to serve us, we are called to serve others in love and put their interests above our own, even giving up our perceived “rights” so that we might bring others into God’s Kingdom!

• Don’t complain or argue, but shine like stars in the darkness!

¹⁴  Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵  so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶  as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. – Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)

Today, people love to complain and argue about what’s wrong! Then they demand their right to have what they think they deserve. Jesus took the opposite approach, and saved the world from sin by doing it! And as his followers, that should be our approach as well.

 Through our actions, attitudes, and words, we are to reflect the love and character of Jesus. That means living with a sense of moral integrity, honesty, humility, sacrificial love for others, and a sense of peace that only comes from knowing God! And when we live as true followers of Jesus, we will “shine like stars” in a “crooked and depraved generation”. WHY?… because we will not be pointing to ourselves and demanding what we deserve! Rather, we will be pointing to Jesus and reflecting his forgiveness, restoration, and hope of an amazing new life that he offers to all! We will have peace and contentment in our hearts, we will not fear the culture and what evil can do to us, because we know the future! It already belongs to Jesus, and we belong to him!

The world screams at us daily to take up their causes and agendas!… agendas of political control and power, labeling and identity politics that leads to division and mistrust, and just fear and doubt.

Jesus, on the other hand, offers us a better invitation with better results:

²⁸  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Which agenda and outcome for life will you choose?

I choose Jesus!

Nobody likes hard times! In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes from prison to thank that church for their generous support and to encourage them to remain joyful in every circumstance, no matter what they face in life at the moment! Paul is an older, wiser man here, reflecting on all he has faced in life, which is more than you and I will ever face: shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, riots, sleepless nights and hunger, humiliation, poverty, mocked as an imposter, rejection, and constant hardship and distresses! And yet the summary of his entire letter can be found in Phil.4:4, which says “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near!”

All of us want to be happy most the time, but life doesn’t work that way! What happens to us when “the wheels come off”? When money is scarce, when health deteriorates, we lose a job, or a loved one gets sick or dies? This beautiful letter to the Philippian church shows us the great difference between the world’s shallow definition of “happiness”, and what the Bible defines as “joy”.

 In the introduction in my “Life Application Bible”, it says, “True joy is deep and strong, not superficial. It is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives— that he will be there no matter what! Our happiness should not depend on what happens to us, but on what happens in us— the transformation that takes place when we put our trust in Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit comes to live in us, giving us God’s perspective on life and all the ups and downs that come with it.”

In chapter 1, Paul gives us four major guideposts that can bring us true joy and peace as we face life’s adversities, disappointments, and pain.

1) BEGIN EVERY DAY AND SITUATION WITH THANKFULNESS AND PRAYER FOR YOUR FAMILY AND OTHER BELIEVERS THAT GOD HAS GRACIOSULY BROUGHT INTO YOUR LIFE!

³  I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴  always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. -Philippians 1:3-6 (ESV)
Paul reminds us that we are not alone, and God is working in our friends’ lives as well to bring about his greater purpose for our lives together. Also, we find comfort in knowing none of us “has it all together”! But God is working continually in our lives to help us grow together and become, slowly, more like Jesus. God will not give up on us, and we should not give up either!

Remember, joy consists of internal stability in spite of external circumstances!

⁹  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  -Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)
Paul encourages us to pray for each other that we have God’s knowledge and discernment, so we end up doing the right things the right way, as God leads us!

2) EVEN WHEN LIFE IS UNFAIR AND YOU ARE TREATED WRONGLY, GOD WILL USE EVERY SITAUTION TO ADVANCE HIS PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE AND TO ADVANCE HIS KINGDOM IN THE WORLD!

¹²  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³  so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. ¹⁵  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
¹⁶  The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹  for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

 – Philippians 1:12-18 (ESV)

Paul was falsely imprisoned, but instead of whining and demanding justice, he basically said, “Hey, guys, it’s all good! God is doing a great thing in spite of this unfair junk!”  The guards that had to stay with him heard the gospel from him and many became Christians. He also wanted to encourage others on the outside to be strong and bold in their faith!

There were other church people who were jealous of Paul and were secretly glad he was in prison! They wanted to take credit for the work of the church instead of Paul. I know, it’s hard to believe that church people would do that (lol), but backstabbing is nothing new to Christians who are weak in character and whose motives are wrong! Paul was strong and gracious enough to let this roll off his back and say “Hey, Jesus is being preached and that’s the most important thing, even if it’s coming from selfish Christians!” God works with imperfect people, including us!

3) GOD WILL PROVIDE WHAT WE TRULY NEED IN THIS LIFE, AND PROMISES AN EVEN BETTER LIFE BEYOND THIS ONE! WE NEED THAT ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE TO REMAIN JOYOUS AND PUT OUR PRESENT HARD CIRCUMSTANCES IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE!

²⁰  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²²  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴  but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶  so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.  – Philippians 1:20-26 (NIV)

This is one of my favorite passages!! After my wife Claudia died 20 months ago, I have come to look at death a little differently. Don’t get me wrong! I hope to live maybe another 18-20 years and enjoy my family and friends, enjoy God’s creation, maybe share life with another wonderful partner, and in all ways serve Jesus and share the good news of his beautiful Kingdom!  But like Paul, I have come to see the eventual death of my body not as something to fear. Rather, it will be a transition into a whole new, wonderful existence in the presence of Jesus! And soon, all of us as his followers will return to earth with him as he establishes his new, amazing Kingdom forever, without sin, sickness, and death! So if you are a believer in Jesus, you will NEVER die! Your feeble body will die, but YOU will live forever, and then we will get new bodies that will never get sick or die! So, like Paul says, it’s great to be here now, but it will be even better in the new Kingdom! We have absolutely nothing to fear on this earth, because Jesus has already overcome every evil force, and justice will be done when he returns!

So, relax in Jesus, love him, love each other, love creation, and just enjoy the life he has given you!

4) BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE FOR US, WE ARE CALLED TO ALWAYS LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL, AND LIVE WITH THE JOY AND PEACE THAT ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE US!

²⁷  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸  without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved–and that by God. ²⁹  For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰  since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. – Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV)

Paul is saying that even though you are going through hardships, disappointments, and suffering (and we all will at times), live in a way that honors and reflects what Jesus is doing is your life and what he has already done for us through his death and resurrection! Too many Christian are afraid of what experts, politicians, governments, and pundits say today. And sadly, way too many get caught up in the negative, destructive words and attitudes that are destroying our culture today. Rather than building each other up, we are often tearing each other down!

Paul is telling us to live like Jesus did! Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you (or today, those that try to “cancel” you), and forgive those who sin against you, just as God forgives you. And most of all, don’t be afraid!! Jesus has already won the ultimate battle, and we are on his side forever! Paul says if we Christians can live with peace, joy, calmness, and act in love in the midst of today’s chaotic culture, people will notice. Some will see our fearless behavior as a sign that they also need to change or face God’s judgement. Others may scoff and ridicule us, but there is really NOTHING they can ultimately do to hurt us or keep us from God and his future Kingdom!

So, whatever your circumstances are today, whether difficult or good at the moment, relax and fully trust in Jesus, and he will give you all you need to live a life of true joy!

Remember, it’s not what’s happening around us that matters; it’s what God is doing IN us that makes all the difference!

Relax, trust only in Jesus, and let him lead you into the life that he has designed uniquely for you in this world!

Jesus offers us a wonderful invitation:

²⁸  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  -Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
 

I pray you accept this invitation, and find his joy and rest for your soul!

What is truth, anyway? When Pontius Pilate questioned Jesus just before sentencing him to death by crucifixion, Jesus answered him, saying, “You say that I am a King. In fact, the reason I was born and came into this world was to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me”. (John18:37) Pilate then cynically responds “What is truth?” Like most people today, Pilate thought “truth” was relative, and was what the majority of people agreed with, or what would advance his personal powers or political goals.

Today we are bombarded with ideas and information, much of it claiming to be “truth”. As Christians, we need to learn and remember that everything God says about himself, us, and this world in the Bible, and through the words of Jesus, is ultimately true, and anything else is just human opinion. And if it differs from what God says, it is NOT true! The Bible makes a pretty dramatic distinction between God’s wisdom, truth, and understanding as compared to ours:

⁸  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

⁹  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

–   ⁶  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6 (ESV)

The Bible also makes it clear that because we are all infected by sin from birth, our very thoughts are limited and tainted, and we live in perpetual “darkness” and can’t see and understand clearly what God has for us! The disciple John lays it out clearly for us:

¹⁶  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁹  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”- John 3:16-17, 19-21 (NIV)

The problem of humanity since the fall in the Garden of Eden is that we try to solve all our problems and tell each other how we are supposed to live (and attempt to control each other), without any help from God! The sin of idolatry is detestable to God, and it means putting your faith and trust in any person, thing, or idea other than God himself. And like all generations before us, we are drunk with the idolatry of our own lofty opinions, ideas, and arrogant pronouncements about morality that often purposely leave God completely out of the picture. We spend our time, money, and passions listening to every new voice that tickles our ears and pushes our favorite agenda. With “smart” phones, endless news cycles, and unlimited access to windbag politicians, pundits, bloggers, podcasters, professors, doctors, scientists, and even some un-biblical pastors, we are washed away in a sea of conflicting ideas and divided into teams and tribes based on which version of the “darkness” we choose to believe. And just as Satan, the “Prince of Darkness” desires, we turn on each other and are divided and filled with hate and mistrust, just the opposite of what Jesus came to save us from.

Jesus, being the Light of God, saw the darkness in human souls, and would not tolerate their foolishness:

–   ²³  Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. ²⁴  But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. ²⁵  He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.– John 2:23-25 (NIV)
–   ⁵  This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. ⁹  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ¹⁰  “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” – Jeremiah 17:5,9-10 (NIV)

Here’s our problem today, and it has been the same problem in every generation throughout history:

Since humanity always loves darkness and confusion rather than the truth and redemption of God, we are forced to choose between human opinions that are always less than God’s truth!

This is not to say that ALL human ideas are totally wrong or evil. Some people of all views and perspectives come with good intentions and ideas to make life better for humanity. The problem is that because we are all sinful and “living in darkness” (before we come to Jesus and begin to “see the Light”), even our best ideas are going to be less than what God has for us if we don’t follow God’s teachings and plan for our lives. It would be helpful is we were at least honest about our limitations and flaws:

– We are ALL biased! That includes politicians, teachers, professors, doctors, lawyers, pastors, scientists, judges, bankers, military leaders, and yes, you and me!

– Throughout history, there is always an “elite class” of rulers and experts who think they know more than the “common people” and seek to impose their version of partial darkness on the rest of us. History shows this never really works and often leads to more division and mistrust and often just makes things worse.

And of course today, in our culture that has exploded with unending information (variations of darkness and confusion) being forced on us through the Internet and our TV screens, we have those who pretend to nobly want to censor or control this “dis-information or mis-information” (for our own good, of course!) This has taken the form of social media “fact-checkers” who are woefully biased toward one viewpoint, or worse yet, government agencies filled with partisan hacks who really just want to limit any other viewpoint than their own. Sadly, in the past several years, we have seen politicians, government leaders, and “experts” on all sides continually exposed as lying and trying to deceive and manipulate us for their benefit and control. Why would we trust any of these people to be the “gatekeepers” of truth when they are constantly sharing at least partial darkness themselves?

SO, WHAT SHOULD BE OUR CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO FINDING TRUTH IN THIS CULTURE OF PARTIAL DARKNESS, MANIPULATION, AND INFORMATION OVERLOAD?

1) Even though all of us are broken by sin and thus often confused in our thinking, we can still value each person as made in God’s image and encourage respectful, open discussion of all ideas in the secular culture!

Jesus knows we are broken in our souls and thought processes, yet he offers to change us from the inside out and help us see things from his perspective. He also promises that when we trust in him, he will send his Holy Spirit to dwell in us. And he adds “when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John16:13) Why not let God’s Spirit help us to gently listen to others and also show us ways to inject God’s love and grace into our everyday conversations?

Also, one of the great advantages we have for sharing God’s truth with others in our country is the right to free speech! While that means many crazy and not so helpful ideas may be put forth, we also have the opportunity to share God’s truth and hope with a culture living in darkness and fear. In the secular realm of ideas, we should be advocates for the approach to discussion which used to be called classic liberalism, which sadly is a rare occurrence today. (For my conservative friends, this is NOT the same as liberal political thought or ideology!)  This simply means that we all come to a discussion with different perspectives and yet have total respect for each other. We vigorously debate all the different ideas, maybe come to some common agreement on some ideas, or just agree to disagree in some cases, and part as respectful friends wanting to grow and learn together in the future. This approach would be so refreshing in contrast to today’s approach which is often “I’m going to win and you will lose, and I will demean you, call you names, and try to cancel your ability to even speak so my side always wins” approach, which leads to more division, mistrust, and hatred in a never-ending cycle!

2) AS BELIEVERS, WE NEED TO LEARN TO TIE BOTH TRUTH AND LOVE TOGETHER AS A TOTAL WAY OF LIFE THAT WE LIVE EACH DAY!

The disciple John, in his later years, tied these ideas together as he reflected on Jesus’ life and example for us:

¹  The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth–and not I only, but also all who know the truth– ²  because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: ³  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. ⁴  It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. – 2 John 1:1-4 (NIV)
 

Why must be tie both ideas together? – Because truth without love leads to cold orthodoxy, while love without truth is empty sentimentalism.

John commends his people for “walking in the truth”. This means we walk, or live  God’s truth every day, not just be our words, but by our actions and our attitudes of humility, kindness, and service to others. As John mentions above, every word from our mouth about God’s truth should reflect God’s grace, mercy, and peace, and if they don’t’, we need to go to God ourselves and repent and ask him to renew our heart and soul. Jesus warned us by saying “ ³⁴   For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. “Matthew 12:34b (ESV)

One of the simplest ways to discern if something is God’s truth or just human opinion is to look at the fruits, or results, of what it leads to. Much of today’s ideas just lead to more division, wars, death, mistrust, blame for the other side, hatred, desire to control and manipulate for one group’s benefit, and on and on with very little benefit for all people. It’s always “somebody wins while many others will have to lose”.

God’s truth through Jesus, on the other hand, leads to forgiveness, redemption, power to change for the better, and eventual restoration of what we lost in the Garden of Eden. The fruit of God’s Spirit in our lives leads to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!

Which sounds better to you?

Jesus encouraged us by saying, “If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.  John 8:32

I pray you will seek and learn the truth of God through the studying the Bible and the leading of his Holy Spirit, and that you will be set free by his grace, mercy, and peace.

And then I invite you to share that truth by your words, actions, and attitude with a world living in fear and darkness. Bring others the hope and truth of Jesus!