To Tell the Truth

 "Do not lie. Do not deceive one another." Leviticus 19:11

    I'm going to be honest with you: I have told many lies in my lifetime. 

    When I was a kid, my mom told me to change the sheets on my bed before I could go out to play. Rather than doing what I was told, it pleasures me not to say I crumpled up clean sheets from the linen closet shelf, pushed them into the hamper and went on my merry way. After giving me the opportunity to come clean, my mom washed my mouth out with soap when I failed to do so. 

    I wish I could say this cured me because, as I aged, the consequences of my actions only grew like Pinocchio's nose.

    Let's face it. Lying isn't just for politicians. The spectrum of falsehoods range from polite white lies to bald-faced spins, otherwise there would be no need to swear-in people before they take the witness stand. (I wonder if they still do that and, if so, do they still have the witness place their right hand on the Bible?)

    Of Jesus, the scriptures say, "He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth." (Isaiah 53:9) He never told a lie,  perhaps not even if Martha asked him if her casserole needed more salt, or if Mary asked, "Does this tunic make me look fat?" 

    All humor aside, Jesus identified Himself as Truth personified. When Pilate dryly wondered what truth was, He was standing right in front of him, though he was too blind to see. 

    Can you imagine if the whole of society were encircled by Wonder Woman's golden lasso, what would our justice system look like? Or our schools? Our homes?

    There's a Sunday School song that just popped into my head that warns, "Oh, be careful little tongue what you say...For the good Lord up above is looking down in love, so be careful little tongue what you say." It's more than just knowing God sees us, it's about being Christ to the world. We grieve the Spirit within us when we sin, thereby making Jesus unrecognizable to others.

    I will close with this very sobering verse from First Peter, which is more convicting to me than my mom's bar of soap:

"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God." 1 Peter 4:11 

One Way

 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6

"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1 John 4: 2, 3

    I learned a new word today: Chrislam. What I have learned about this word is so vehemently opposed to Christianity that I must write about it. 

    Chrislam is not a religion but rather a blending of two, just as its name suggests. The essential concept of it says that Christianity and Islam are compatible, that a person can be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time.

    There are those who believe these two groups worship the same God, have similar teachings and moral ethics and, since Jesus is mentioned in the Qur'an, Islam seems to be compatible with Christianity.

    Let the buyer beware! At the very core of this lies the Deity of Jesus Christ, who is, the Christian believes, God incarnate. At Christmas, we sing of Immanuel which means, "God With Us" because the second person of the Trinity laid aside His glory and came to "draw all people to Myself" when He was lifted up on the cross. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

    Islam rejects this very idea, calling it blasphemy and polytheism, denying Jesus's  deity and His death on the cross. Knowing this, can a person be a Muslim and a Christian simultaneously? Never!

  Take up your sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and use it to expose such gaily wrapped packages of lies. There can be no "interfaith" discussions for me because there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ.

"Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2: 22, 23 

"I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist...If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work." 2 John 7, 10, 11

AYCE (All You Can Eat)

 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Psalm 23: 5

    One of my jobs at work is to prepare fresh fruit servings for student lunches. One particular bunch of grapes was so densely populated with fruit that I could barely work my fingers in there to wrest them from their stems. 

    This brought to mind a Sunday School lesson from many years ago. The teacher was using the flannelgraph to demonstrate the story of the spies who were sent to explore the land of Canaan. I can still remember being impressed by the mammoth bunch of grapes they found that was so heavy, they had to carry it on a pole between them. "When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them along with some pomegranates and figs." (Numbers 13:23)

    God had described the land He was giving to His people as a "land flowing with milk and honey." Evidently, the grape crop wasn't doing too badly either! That's how God is, though. Generous beyond comprehension. 

    As a Christian in 2022, my All You Can Eat buffet is found in God's word. Recently, I went on a quest to see how many verses I could find that describe the abundant life that is offered in Christ. Finding a small spiral notebook, I began to write them out in longhand so I could tangibly experience the feast for myself. I have found such heavy clusters of verses that I am going to need a larger notebook. 

    I will leave some "grapes" for you to sample:

• I have peace: Psalm 4:8
• I am safe : Psalm 9:9
• I have heavenly citizenship: Philippians 3:20
• I am a friend of God: John 15:15
• I am loved: Jeremiah 31:3
• I am completely forgiven: Colossians 1: 13, 14
• I will receive the crown of life: James 1:12

    With all this and so much more, why would I want to go anywhere else? I have all I need in Christ. It's like He said - His grace really is sufficient for all my needs.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15: 13

    

My True Inheritance

 "What you sow does not come to life unless it dies." 1 Corinthians 15:36

"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." 1 Corinthians 15:50

    There is was, the house I knew so well, standing solemnly in the center of the block, with so many tales to tell. I saw her there, with straight brown hair, the gal that once was me, with red, rubber-tipped sneakers and a band-aid on her knee. With trowel in hand, my mother's among the red stalks of rhubarb, handing over the hapless earthworms to my grubby grasp. 

    With a catch in my throat, a sadness saddled my soul as the now empty house seemed to sigh, as if it knew I had returned to her. Weeds have long replaced the rhubarb patch. The lilac bush I'd given on Mother's Day hung its half-dead boughs over the fence. 'Twas through that portal I first was brought, swaddled in a fleece of pink, and through the same my mother's frame was carried, shrouded on a gurney, my eyes forebear to see. 

    Why do things have to change? Why must good times perish, as the laughter once heard 'round the oak dinner table fades? The faces of my sisters, my father's wavy hair, my mother's merry eyes, these I recall as if I just rose from the table, yet the weeds encroach and the paint peels.

    Though all may seem as dead and gone, the eternal part remains! The seed of the gospel, which is everlasting life in Jesus' name, was planted there through scripture read after dessert and prayers of intercession spoken on my behalf by parents who walked by faith, not by sight. 

    The best is yet to come when I pass through the heavenly portal of pearl and hear the laughter of my loved ones welcoming me. It is there I shall see my Savior face-to-face, never to change, never to perish, never to fade. This is my true inheritance. Hallelujah!

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O grave, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15: 54, 55

    

How to Be a Hero

 "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9

    If you have a cursory knowledge of the scriptures, you will have heard of such biblical heroes as David, Moses and Paul, but have you ever heard of Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite? If you haven't, you're in good company because I had no familiarity with him either. Yet, his heroic tale, found in just two Old Testament verses, resonated with me. 

    In the second book of Samuel, three of King David's mighty warriors are mentioned, but this blurb about Shammah leapt off the page:

    "Next to him was Shammah, son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory." (2 Samuel 23: 11, 12)

    The Christian walk can seem like a stroll in the park when opposition is at low tide and the faith of others buoys us, but "when other helpers fail and comforts flee," as the hymn goes, will we flee as well or will we stand our ground in the armor of God? 

    Taking a stand requires courage, but we are never called to do so in our own strength. Notice who brought about the great victory against the bullies in Shammah's world? The Lord did! 

    In our "field of lentils" - whether that be on the job or at the grocery store or on social media - how can we stand firm in our faith? Here are a few ideas:

• Incorporate God into our daily conversations
• Include scripture in our everyday correspondence
• Show our support of other believers who have stood against opposition
• Lovingly correct theological errors when detected
• Message someone and ask if they have a prayer request
• Become involved in our community, shining the Gospel light

    I'm pretty sure this guy, Shammah, had no idea when he woke up that morning that his courage would be called into action in a lentil field, but see how his name has gone down in history? Most days, I feel like I'm nobody special. I've no outstanding degree nor any stupendous talent that would cause anyone to look twice, but when I allow my omnipotent God to flex His strength through me, that is when I have the chance to do something heroic in His kingdom.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6: 10, 11