Truth or Tabloids - John 8:31-58

 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32

I have a confession.

When I travel for work I buy the magazines in the little convenience stores at the airport which scream headlines like:

"TomKat separating because he has two heads! Details inside"

"Khloe & Lamar: Living Apart - Insider reveals all!"

"Jennifer Aniston to wed in a Scottish ceremony to a Buddist Monk! Secrets revealed on page 43."

Okay, so I admit those are a bit extreme, but there is something tantalizing about a headline that calls out a deep dark secret. I get sucked into the drama of other people's reality - - or often a reality built on a house of cards. We all want to know what is hidden deep within - to know the "real truth". 

But, what really is the truth?

We live in a country that plasters headlines designed to draw you in so you will buy the magazine, tabloid or newspaper, but all too often what you find inside is just more....well, junk. The headlines are padded with half-truths and the stories are often riddled with misinformation or blatant lies. So if the "media" is supposed to be our source of truth, how do we dicern what is really true?

We go to the source of all truth - God.

When Jesus was trying to reveal his true nature to the Jews of his day, he was facing an uphill battle. Many had heard of his fame associated with his miracles through the old-fashioned version of tabloids - - word of mouth gossip. They looked to Jesus to be a great profit or a mysterious healer - essentially a side-show. They did not see Jesus as the One sent from God. They could not see Jesus as the Messiah. 

They couldn't see the truth. 

They were okay with the flash and the half-truths. They were okay with the gossip and the innuendos. They were okay with being jailed by misleading information. They were okay with the tabloid truths.

But Jesus was offering them truth and the freedom that comes with that truth.

When we know truth - - absolute truth - - it is freedom because we don't have to guess or wonder. We don't have to dig a little deeper under the covers to find out what is "really" happening. We just know. 

And that is who Jesus is. He is truth. By knowing Jesus we know The Father. We know truth and through that knowledge we have the freedom to accept the grace that the Father offers us through Jesus. Through that acceptance - we are free indeed.

Way better that any glossy tabloid or gossip magazine...don't you think?

Scripture

 John 8:31-58

Quote of the Day

Gossip needn't be false to be evil - there's a lot of truth that shouldn't be passed around. 

Frank A. Clark 

 

The Truth Never Lies

All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Matthew 5:37

"It is the truth - no seriously it is the truth."

"I promise - there is 100% satisfaction guaranteed"

"9 out of 10 customers agree, this is the very best..."

Why do we always feel the need to overemphasize a statement?

We like to embellish the truth - going above and beyond a simple, "yes, it is snowing outside" or "no, I didn't take out the trash."

Instead we like to say:

"YES! I've never seen so much snow before in my life. This is the worst I have ever seen road conditions. Never before has anything ever been this bad!"

or

"I just forgot to take the trash out. I was really going to do it, but this thing came up and then I had to go and save a kitten in a tree and then I lost an arm..."

As people of faith, one of our goals in life should be to allow what we say to be the truth; the simple, uncomplicated truth.

Honesty is at the core of who we are as Christians:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know^[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 15:6-7

Our pathway to God is through Jesus. He is truth and the truth never lies.

We cannot live in lies or half-truths and expect to have a relationship with God. We must be honest with ourselves, those around us and most importantly with God.

Let your yes, be yes and your no, be no...seems like a pretty simple concept, but in a world built on twisting and turning the smallest of things into a distorted vision of their former state, being a truly honest and straight forward person can be a challenge. But knowing that a relationship with God is the reward for living honestly is worth the challenge.

Scripture

Matthew 5:33-37

Quote of the Day

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.
~Mark Twain

Question of the Day

When have you had the opportunity to be honest - - but made the choice to follow a dishonest path?

GUMY this SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!

Foundation of Relationships

Truth is an essential building block in any relationship. When we start with a foundation of truth, we build a solid house which can withstand any storm life might thrust upon our relationships. Through truth based relationships we have trust and honesty which are the pathways to deep and abiding love – the place where we all long to live.


However, if we begin our relationships with lies and deceit, we build a relationship that has a weak foundation filled with holes and unreliability. Houses are condemned when there foundation is determined to be unsafe. The same is true for relationships which start with lies and untruths. 

 We all want to enhance ourselves – show the best side of who we are – but lying to do so will only find you in a desperate race against discovery. With each lie and half-truth, you will be forced to develop a plausible story to support your shaky house. Even if you start being honest – sharing the whole truth at some point in your relationship – the foundation will always be unsure; it may be able to be shored up and renewed but it will take twice the effort to rebuild as it would have taken to simple build the foundation correctly on the initial try.

 And what happens when we try to lie to God about who we are? Or how about if we lie to ourselves?


God knows who we are – inside and out – the good, the bad, the ugly, the lies and the truth. God knows about everything and yet…He still loves each of us. He loves us so much that 2000 years ago He sent His Only Son to die on a cross so that He could be in a relationship with you…He loves you that much. He started the foundation of your relationship with Him in pure honest love and open armed truth; talk about a strong foundation.


Imagine if you went into every relationship in your life being open and honest about who you are…Because Whose you are is quite special and amazing. Before you try and make yourself sound better, remember that you are a child of God. What could possibly be a better endorsement?

 Scripture Reference (click below)

Matthew 7:24-28

Fun Fact of the Day…

The door at 10 Downing Street (where the British Prime Minister lives) can only be opened from the inside. 

Question of the day…


What is your favorite thing about yourself? (Brag Away!!!)



(Answer below in the COMMENTS section….)



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