Truth Is Loving

We are in a day where the social gospel of the world is love. Today's culture is inundated with people who are reminding us to take care of our brother. Reminding us that all they want is to be loved (accepted). We are seeing mass tele-fundraisers for tragic situations and almost every famous person has a charity of choice now. 

Let me be clear. I am not against being socially responsible. I am for it. I am however noticing a growing trend that it is socially acceptable to give a man a glass of water, but it is no longer kosher (or even acceptable) to give a man a glass of water in the name of Jesus. 

Now this trend is more than likely not touching the far reaches of the earth like it is touching western civilization. Those places have their own battles with the gospel. But it is touching where we currently live.

As a believer in Jesus, I have been spending time really thinking about this. I know that we are asked in the Word to love our brothers as we love ourselves. I know that John later says that "God is love" and that perfect love casts out all fear.

So in my wrestling, I had the Lord gently speak to my heart something very interesting. He said, "What do I say about myself?" 

So I have begun to look at who Jesus said He was. Jesus said, "I Am the bread of life." "I Am the light of the world." "I Am the door." "I Am the good shepherd." "I Am the resurrection and the life." "I Am the vine, my Father is the gardner; I Am the vine, you are the branches." And last but certainly not least, "I Am the way, the truth, and the life."

These are just seven of the names that Jesus said about himself. (These 7 are in the book of John.) 

Let's focus in on "I am the way, the truth, and the life." It continues, "no one comes to the Father except through me."

Truth. I've been talking about it in some of my writings lately. I am  not talking about some abstract concept of what your truth may be, but Truth. Everlasting Truth. The person of Truth. Jesus himself. I have come to the strong conclusion that the world needs an encounter with Truth. I don't mean the bible-beating, arrow throwing kind of truth speakers that many Christians are known as, but we need an encounter with heavenly, divine, supernatural TRUTH!

I am wired as a logical thinker. I analyze most everything, and I love science. When growing up, I loved to learn about the way the world was made, and if I didn't have questions about the things I was studying, it was a rare day. I am made curious, loving to learn how things operate and how the world works. My mom was a math teacher, and my dad a science teacher, so logical and inquisitive learning was a part of my home environment.

While my curiosity was a gift, it could absolutely stop me in my tracks. See, when I began to analyze something, I could analyze it to death. I could ask so many questions that I could literally question myself into a really bad place. 

I remember thinking through the concept of God and asking so many questions that I began to feel really confused. I remember questioning creation, my purpose, and the Trinity. I wondered how things happened and how they worked, and how science and faith meshed. I wondered if what I had been taught was true, both in science and logic, and in faith and the spiritual. 

Then I would feel absolutely lost, confused, and hopeless. I couldn't make sense of things and people telling me to "just have faith" wasn't helping make sense of things for me.

But then, I began to have encounters with the Person of TRUTH! Jesus!

I remember where I was the first time it happened. I was about 2 miles outside of our little town, sitting in my 1990 Cougar, with the sun-roof down. I was looking at the stars and I was thinking. Thinking too hard. Then all of a sudden, I felt this heavy presence enter the car, and the thoughts in my head began to line up. The confusion dispelled, and I began to have peace, understand deep scientific truths that I had never been taught. I began to feel how the things I was questioning lined up with the faith I grew up with. I now know that I had an encounter with Truth, the person of Truth. And my faith was becoming my own.

There was another time when I was driving home from college and I was questioning how the trinity concept worked and if it was true. I felt that same heavy presence fall in my car, and I could understand it and define it. See when Truth comes, a spirit of revelation comes as well. You began to have creative thoughts, understand His thoughts, and confusion is dispelled. It was such a dynamic encounter that every time I drive by the spot, I tell my husband, "This is where I was when I had the truth of the trinity hit me." He laughs, and says, "You've never told me that before!" with his only slightly sarcastic tone.

See Truth changes things. Because when Truth comes, perfect love comes to. Every encounter I've had with Truth has cast out the fear that was haunting me with my questions.  Perfect love casts out all fear, and the Spirit of Truth is part of perfect love. Both are part of the intermingling character of God. You can't separate the different facets of God. Truth is loving. And perfect love has in it truth.

Lately, I have had several conversations where the people I have been talking to have almost been afraid of labeling anything as truth. It's almost as if saying the sky is blue would be limiting, because ... what if it isn't? So basic facts, basic truths, of life are no longer foundational. Everything is questioned. 

The world would say, just love them where they are at. And I AGREE!! But I know that questioning  needs what I needed. It needs an encounter with Truth. Because truth is part of perfect love! It needs the heavy presence of God to fall and divide soul from spirit, joints from marrow, and thoughts and intentions of the heart. Because when this presence comes, thoughts line up. Ideas fall into place, and false beliefs just fall off. And it doesn't come from striving for answers, it comes from encountering the perfect love that is Truth.

When Truth comes, faith is comes too. Faith is technically having complete trust or confidence in something. Faith becomes easy when we have encountered Truth.

In Luke 18:8, Jesus himself says, "When the Son of Man returns, will he find FAITH on the earth?"

Jesus did not say when I return will I find love on the earth? He said will I find FAITH on the earth. Faith comes when you have an encounter with TRUTH!

I want to be one who holds on to truth. I want to be one who has faith. And I want to be one who exhibits the supernatural kind of love that the world needs. Both in meeting their physical needs (like the social gospel asks) but more importantly in the spiritual need of their heart. I want to be a part of releasing the powerful, dynamic, supernatural love of Jesus that can't be separated from the presence of Truth. Will you join me?

Bless

__________, I bless your spirit in the name of Jesus. I bless you to have a deep, revelatory encounter with the person of Truth. I bless you to have your fears dispelled with the perfect love of the Father, and I bless you to have faith that will move mountains.

Declare

I declare that I will unapologetically hold to the truth. I declare that I will do it in a way that will draw people towards the cross, not away from it. I declare that when I question life, I will do it differently. I will give room for encounter, and I will ask Jesus to speak truth to me. I declare that I will let Truth change me and mold me into the loving person that the Lord desires me to be.