Truth and Love

-


Matthew 10:27-28 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.


There is a great crisis of truth that is rising up across the globe. Because of political correctness, fear of offense has become the great silencer. Society has decided that no one person can know the truth any longer. Instead, for the sake of all feelings, truth must be watered down...sanitized. To avoid offense, strong words of conviction should be avoided, and instead, soft words of acceptance should be encouraged.


This is a ploy by the enemy of all mankind. What we call "love" often isn't love. Acceptance of everything that claims to be truth will surely destroy us, if there is, in fact, truth. All things can't be right if there is one right answer. If our culture were a body, and everything that claimed to be food were eaten, surely we would eventually willingly drink poison...because there IS an enemy of all mankind who is constantly trying to poison us all ...left and right, conservative and liberal, Christian and atheist. This enemy is satan, and he operates in the theater of words...His main strategy is the broadcast and transmission of lies intended to eventually murder as many people as possible:


John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.


If we are willing to take in all things, then poison is sure to find its way into our bodies. As world events become more intense, truth will be the arena where lives are won and lost. When Jesus came the first time, truth was front and center:


John 18:37-38 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.


Pilate experienced the truth in Jesus, but was unwilling to stand for truth. He valued the opinion of Caesar over the opinion of God. The temporary trouble the truth might have caused him trumped the eternal trouble the truth will cause him.


Truth is a stumbling block, because truth is a rock. Either I choose to build my life on truth now, or truth will eventually crush me, because truth isn't going away. I can deal with truth now, and build something that lasts on it, or I can deal with truth later, at a time that seems "more convenient"...less messy...only to find out that truth is the very thing that will convict and sentence me. Truth has become a man, and His name is Jesus:


John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.


Truth is returning soon. At the prompting of satan, who is the enemy of truth, mankind tried to kill truth. Truth raised Himself from the dead and is returning to crush everything and everyone that opposes Him, because Truth IS Love:


I John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.


In preparation of His return, Truth is sending out messengers to prepare the way before Him. Jesus is merciful, and knows He is like strong soap, so He sends out an advanced team to make the adjustment less harsh:


Malachi 3:1-2 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes.


Because truth is convicting, it feels harsh to everything and everyone that doesn't agree with it. Truth is strong soap because the lies are harsh and clinging stains. Truth and love are two sides of the same coin and are given to save...to clean.


To avoid offense...because people are generally more afraid of each other than they are of God...we want to water down the truth...water down the soap...make it not as strong and offensive. But the soap was made strong for a reason, because the stain is so tough. The liar says gentle soap will clean more people. Truth says watered-down soap might reach more people, but it won't clean any of them! The liar wants no one clean, Truth wants to clean as many as possible.


On one day soon, only one opinion is going to matter. From that day forward, we will see with our eyes that there is only one person to avoid offending. He is truth. He is love. Jesus spoke truth in love...never wavering from either, with a gaze locked on the Father.


Some will shout their truth absent of love, and some will try to manufacture love absent of any truth. Neither of these will prepare the way for the person who is Truth and Love. I want to agree with Truth and agree with His heart of Love:

I Corinthians 13:1-7 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade , is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is itself not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Comments

Post a Comment

I appreciate your comments.

Most Popular Posts

False Love (Polite Ignoring of Truth) Is Killing the Bride of Christ

-
Romans 16:17Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. We live in the age that Paul described to Timothy: 2 Timothy 3:1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having...
Read more

Advent: Anticipating the Coming of Messiah

-
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. In the end, everyone is going to get what they want.  This is the beauty and tragedy of being loved by an eternal Father.  Love requires free will.  Free will means I get the freedom to have my own will.  Everyone will get their will empowered in the end.  For the same love that gives everyone what they want, there is a delay in the giving over to desire.  God gives us time to change our mind that we could learn to want what He wants for us....that our will could be conformed to His. Judgment...even the seals, trumpets and bowls of Revelation...are simply the giving over of mankind to what it wants, even though what it wants is not good.  It happens incrementally and in a process so that we could repent....that we could see what we want won't really satisfy, and change our minds. That's why the end time judgment comes in 21 steps. In the d...
Read more

False Unity: Ecumenicism, Math, and Time

-
Image
Decision Tree for Reading this Post: 1.   I am already convinced my denomination or apostolic network is correct and I am a team player.  My ideology and network matters more than truth: please go to 2. 2.   Please, do not read this post.  It won't help you. 3.   I believe in christian unity at all costs and am not interested in changing my mind, please go to 2. 4.   I believe all ecumenical unity is evil and am not interested in changing my mind, please go to 2. 5.   I am interested in a different Biblical perspective to consider about unity and I like hearing what Jesus says to lots of people so that I can talk to Him myself with a more full perspective: please go to 6. 6.   Yay, please read this Post. False Unity: Ecumenicism, Math, and Time The Bible has a LOT to say about unity of the church.  We know unity is going to happen just before the great harvest brings a massive number of people to the church in one gene...
Read more

Sanctified? Spared?

-
I believe in a safe place in the judgment unfolding. Though it is largely rejected, it isn't too late.  A sanctified people in a consecrated place can turn back the tide of trouble for their land if they are willing to humble themselves and submit to the clear instructions of the Lord. Only a sanctified people can do this. God doesn't care about the quality of the music or the articulation of the words of the prayers, or the appearance of the sanctuary....it is the cleanliness of heart and the willingness to stand with Him in His righteous judgments....to attribute to Him the truth: that He is the one behind the trouble, and that because He is allowing it, even raising it up, it is good. That God defines and discerns good and evil differently than man, and has every right to is the message of the sanctified. That man's discernment of good has led us into this mess is the message of the sanctified. That no king can save us but the One who loved completely different than...
Read more

Tent of Meeting and the Tabernacle of Moses

-
The Tent of Meeting Moses set up outside the camp was a precursor to the Tabernacle of Testimony that would follow it. Rebellion of God's people brought about the Tabernacle of Meeting, or the temporary tent Moses erected to stay near God himself, until the rebellion was dealt with. When Moses first went up on Mt. Sinai, God showed him to build the Tabernacle of Testimony. The instructions God gave Moses were for a public meeting place. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai he found Israel, the people God had offered the Tabernacle to, worshiping the Golden Calf Aaron had made. God told Moses He would no longer go with Israel. God withdrew His offer to be in the camp of Israel, but God did not withdraw the promise to take Israel to the promised land and drive out her enemies! Here the Lord was testing Israel. Did she want God, or simply the promises of God?: Exodus 33:1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out o...
Read more