To Encourage You

John 17:17 “Your word is truth.”

“Tell me the truth!” How many times have you heard this said to you, or how many times have you said it to someone else?  Parents often say this to their children, for they ultimately want to get to the bottom of whatever the situation may be.  It’s difficult to make wise decisions or take a proper course of action if the underlying information about a matter if false.  In court, witnesses are told to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” under oath, for justice is virtually impossible without it.  We generally desire truth in every area of life, although we may not think of it in those terms.  When we buy a gallon of gas, we expect the gas pump to be truthful as it measures that gallon out for us.  When our friends talk to us, we desire and expect that what they say to us will be the truth.  The truth and truthfulness are of precious worth in every area of life. 

And so it is with the Bible, which Jesus stated was “the truth.”  The truth about what?  Everything that matters most.  It’s the truth about how the world got here, how we got here, and why we exist. It’s the truth about God, Heaven, Hell, the past, the present and the future. It’s the truth about who we are and what we are like and why we have the problems that we face in life.  It’s the truth about relationships, be it husband- wife, parent-child, friend-friend, employer-employee, or God-man.  It’s the truth about what honors God and what doesn’t, what is good and what is evil, what is valuable and what is not.  It’s the truth about life and the truth about death.   What a precious thing God has given us in his true Word. 

Yet he has given us the freedom to either listen to it and follow Him, or to disregard it and follow some other way.  However, the truth about that other way, any other way, is that it leads to harm, discouragement, loss, and ultimately, death.  Jesus has told every one of us the truth, because He loves us and the longing of His heart is that we willingly embrace the truth for our own good.  Doesn’t it seem like the wise thing to simply listen to Him, and obey?