It was in pieces all over my bedroom floor and dresser. Instantly, my mom’s repeated warnings raced through my head, “Don’t flip off the end of the bed because you are going to break the dresser mirror.” But, for a ten year old, the temptation was too great. Yet, thoughts of her punishment were not my greatest fear. It was her others words screaming in my head, “If you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck for every single crack!” As I stared down through my tears at what must have been a million cracks, I thought, “My life is over!” I cried for three weeks. Other people tried to reassure me my Mom’s teaching about bad luck was just an old wives-tale. Their words did not change anything, because my Mom taught me this rule about mirrors and if she said it, it had to be the truth. She was my Mom.
Yet, as I grew and learned, I realized some of the sayings she taught me were just old wives-tales. This was what her parents taught her and she truly believed she was passing on truth to me. So if everything your Mom told you is not truth, what is the source of truth? Where can we find truth? ‘What is truth?’ has been a major question in philosophy for thousands of years. Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Some say you find truth in philosophy, in culture, or in religion. However, today, a majority believe that we can only find truth though science.
A survey came out this month that ignited this thought in me. It found that only 19% of Protestant believers read their Bible outside of church on a regular basis. It reported that 36% read the Bible once a week, once a month, or a few times a month and 18% rarely or never read or study the Bible outside of worship. The question ringing in my mind is, “Okay, what is their source of truth?” For this 54%, from what source do they learn how to live and to please God? Are their rules for life from their Moms; the culture around them; from scientific findings? Or, are they just moving along in the flow with the rest of the crowd? My first response was, “no wonder people are struggling through life.”
We are living in a time when truth is an option for many. Think about how many public figures we have all seen in the past year caught in a lie. Sadly, even ministers are falling into this sin. Another recent survey states that 70% of adult American Christians believe there are no moral or ethical absolutes that apply to everyone. If there has ever been is a time in history we need truth, it is now. Satan has used deception (false truth) from the beginning, but Paul warns us about the last days prior to Jesus return that because, they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved . . . God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false (2Th 2:10, 11).
Paul writes to the Romans and says the unrighteous even suppress the truth (Rom 1:18). The word for suppress means to hold down the lid on something trying to escape as a wild animal trapped with the trapper struggling to keep it contained. People go to extreme efforts to keep the truth hidden. The reality is Satan does not want us to know the truth.
Scripture is the only source of absolute truth. This is why we are seeing such an attack of the validly of the Bible today. All other disciplines as philosophy, culture, and science have their place; but should confirm the truth of the Bible, not become the source of truth. Jesus told Thomas, I am the truth as opposed to the devil, the father of lies. Jesus is the living Word. Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth. In one of Jesus’ final prayers He says to the Father, Your word is truth (John 17:17). So we have both the Spirit of Truth and the Word of Truth to guide us—if we utilize it.
What does the truth do for us? The truth will make you free. Truth is a key element of the Armor of the Spirit. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist (Eph 6:14 HCSB). The belt held the other armor in place. Truth holds everything in place for us. Are you living free, enjoying life, and full of His joy and peace? If not you might examine your source of truth. With only 19% read their Bible on a regular basis, it is possible you are not living a life guided by truth. In the chaos of our current world with multitudes doing what is right in their own eyes, we certainly should not be going with the flow of the crowd. As Christians, we have the source of truth—just read and study it daily.
Sustaining Word for the Week:
Do not be led astray by a deluding influence and believe what is false. Your Mom, your spouse, your teacher, the world around you or even your pastor is not the absolute source of truth. It (the Bible) is probably in reach as you read this. Pick it up, read it, and begin learning the Truth.