‘Love the truth’ (Zechariah 8:19)
If ever there was a short text
that throws a challenge into our society, it must be this: ‘Love the truth’.
From the pinnacles of government,
to the worker in the supermarket; from the religious minister at the front of
the congregation, to the lady gossiping in the local café, truth has all but
vanished from our world. It seems acceptable now to blatantly tell lies in
public, and in private, to spin out some fabricated story with no conscience
whatsoever, and no concern about what it may do to those listening.
It is no wonder that there is little
or no trust in our politicians and leaders, and no faith in what the media
spouts out every minute of the day. All have been proved to be utterly
untrustworthy.
The Bible says that ‘truth has
fallen in the streets’, and indeed, the populations have been lied to so much,
that it is easier to believe the lie now, than to try and find out the truth.
Looking at the glamorous stage-shows of so-called ‘Christian’ television and its network of ‘televangelists’ wrapped up in their own self-importance and staggering wealth, one realizes that the corruption and contamination of deception has washed the simplicity of truth out of whatever it is they preach about.
It is no surprise that ordinary, sensible people want nothing to do with the nonsense being spouted by the overdressed,
over-paid religious comedians. They bring shame and contempt on the message of
the cross and the dreadful sacrifice of the Son of God. He never came to make
us millionaires and rich beyond our wildest dreams. He came to save us from our
sin and from hell, and reconcile us to God.
Truth flies in the face of the
trickery and cunning of the false ‘prophets’, and exposes their lies and their
sinful motives. They turned the
simplicity of faith in God into a money racket, which is no better than the
illegal and unlawful practises of the con-men selling cheap and broken products
to unsuspecting and gullible shoppers looking for a bargain. Millions follow
them and attend their entertainment shows, where the punters lay on the floor
giggling like the insane, and the preacher waltzes round as though he were God’s
right-hand man.
However, there is only One at the
right-hand of God, and his name is Jesus. To hell with all the lies and
deceptions.
The truth brings everything into
focus and is a light in the darkness, even in self-inflicted delusion. The
truth never changes and stands as a citadel against all the hordes of darkness
and the sea of spiritual blindness that has flooded the nations like a tsunami.
We stand on the brink of
destruction, with great and powerful nations rising up for war, and populations
being imprisoned and enslaved by their leaders through an agenda of deception and
lies. Rampant unrest is growing louder and louder every day. It seems there is
no audible voice to lead the people out of the darkness and into the light, no
herald, no-one crying, “This is the way, walk ye in it!’
Yet here upon earth, in nation
after nation, the truth that can make people free, the truth that has the
ability to turn things round even at the last hour, is alive and in the hands
of true believers: if only they knew its eternal awesome power and efficacy.
The Bible, this Book of Life,
this Word of God, this evil-destroying Sword of the Spirit, lies on the table
under some magazine or other, or covered with dust on some bookshelf, or in a
box of other books, rarely, if ever being noticed, let alone respected or
opened.
The church-goers would rather use
some ‘app’ on their phones, rather than actually carry a real Bible in their hands.
They have no clue as to what the Bible is, and are happy to be interrupted
whilst reading it, by some ridiculous or even disgusting advert or video popping
up to make them laugh. This is how cheap and disrespectful modern ‘Christianity’
has become. ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes’, says the prophet, and
this is the generation that arose ‘who knew not God’, even if they do go to
church every Sunday.
If there is no reverence and godly
fear when holding the Bible; if there is no sense of the holiness of this Book
of books, then there is no understanding or knowledge of God in that person. ‘Thy
word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee’, says the
Psalmist.
In another verse he says, ‘Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path’, I cannot do without it.
In Luke 4:4 (but only in the old amazing
Bible KJV), Jesus quotes directly from the Old Testament, and says, ‘Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ It is not a suggestion,
neither some good advice, nor just a general statement.
It is a command.
‘Man shall not live by bread
alone.’ – a command
‘Man shall live by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ – a command (Deuteronomy 8:3)
The Bible is the tower of truth
that stands in the face of the evil of this world. It shines its light, whenever
it is read or spoken, like a lighthouse sending its warnings and promises
across the raging seas of man’s discontent and hopelessness.
Love the truth.
Love the Word.
Hold it in your hand like the
finest of fine gold.
It is the Spirit-breathed voice
of God, eternal in its essence, alive and living, holy and majestic, fearful
and convicting. When you preach it, or speak it out-loud, the Spirit of God is
in the words: and they become more than words. They are spirit and they are
life.
In these dark days, and if ever
there was a time to get things right, go get yourself a real Bible, and hold it
with understanding and godly fear. And as you hold it, let God speak to you,
and let the fear of God put respect and love in your heart for this incredible,
and precious, and totally awesome Book. When you open it, it will breathe life
into your spirit and open your spiritual ears to hear from God himself.
You do not need some fancy conference
or some slick-mouthed flash preacher to tell you that he knows what God is
saying to you. The preacher may well be self-deceived; but you can know God for
yourself, and His Word will indeed open up and deliver truth to your heart.
Love your Bible. Read it every
day. Underline and mark it every time God shows you something.
When it gets too worn, get a new
one and start again. Keep the old one as most sacred, or give it to someone who
will feel mightily honoured to receive it.
Never place some inferior object
on top of it, or disrespect it. It should be your most treasured possession.
Nothing should be compared to it. If your house catches fire, it should be the
first and most important treasure to rescue.
Love the truth.
‘Thy Word is truth’.
JGM 2022
