“The words I speak to you are . . life.” John 6:63 NKJV
“Truth is not subjective; it is objective and eternal, changing for no one.”
My thoughts today are about “recognizing truth.”
There are voices and opinions all around you, competing for your attention and trust. There is no scarcity of people wanting to be an authority in your life. That can be very confusing if you do not have a reliable standard by which to measure conflicting opinions. How can you judge what is safe upon which to build your life? That situation is not unique to this time or generation. Whether opinions come by yesterday’s news cycle, 24 hour cable news, or with the anonymity and speed of the Internet, you must learn how to sort out what is said and what you will believe.
I have heard it correctly said, “Opinions are a dime a dozen; everybody has one.” Often, that is exactly what they are worth, “a dime a dozen!” Recognize people God places in your life whose word you should be able to trust, not only when they agree with you, nor because what they say somehow sounds right to you, nor even because they strongly believe what they say, but because there is a record of the integrity of their life, and their words ring true to God’s Word and character. Who and how many do you know and trust to be that in your life?
I have observed that a person does not choose what they believe. Knowingly or not, you actually choose whom you believe, and that determines what you believe. Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ, God’s Son. See John 1:1-2/14/17 NKJV. Jesus said, “The words I speak to you are . . life.” John 6:63 NKJV. The ultimate standard for truth is how any idea or opinion measures up to God’s Word. I choose to believe what God says in His written Word, above and before any other’s conflicting opinion or idea, however popular or pleasing. Truth is not subjective; it is objective and eternal, changing for no one. Exactly for that reason, truth always prevails.
Words are not true just because the person who spoke them believes them. Words are true when they come from someone of truth, and when they result in life. Truth proves itself by speaking life into your heart and spirit, evidenced by creating Godly certainty, rather than confusion. “Therefore love truth and peace.” Zechariah 8:19 NIV. People who love truth recognize truth.
When many of the crowd who followed Jesus did not like to hear the difficult truth He spoke, they went their own way, “Jesus said therefore to the (disciples), ‘Will you go away also?’” Peter messed up and got a lot of things wrong, but on this occasion he was right on. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life! And we believe and have come to know that You are the holy one of God.” John 6:66-69. Notice again the sequence: “we believe and have come to know.”
Jesus does not leave any middle ground. Without fear of contradiction, Jesus boldly declares, “I am the truth, the way and the life!” John 14:6 NKJV. Whatever other satisfaction I find in life, I fully agree with John’s words, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth” 3 John 4.
My prayer for you today is: refuse the world’s attempts to adjust truth to their liking.