We Kill Truth

Yesterday we noted that when we condemned Jesus to die for telling us exactly who He was, we killed Truth.

We continue to kill truth to this day.

Jesus is the Word, and in John 1 we read that:

The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him; nothing--not one thing!--came into being without him.

Jesus is the face of God: Truth, Love, Light, Grace, Freedom. His message is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, loved unconditionally exactly as we are, and free to choose to have this Truth be our greatest companion.

But we behave differently:

The truth is, if left untouched, that glob of cells will exit the mother's womb as a baby, and to cut this development short is to kill.

The truth is, if seen through God's eyes, each of us is beautifully and uniquely made, a reason to celebrate, and to malign a single person with gossip, mistreatment, or judgment is to kill.

The truth is, Jesus is our pathway to heaven here on earth and in eternity, and to deny His power and promise for yourself or to lead another away from Him is to kill.

Truth is a most powerful substance. It is dependable and immovable.

Our culture pretends we have somehow transcended, or become enlightened beyond our need for, Truth.

Nothing could be further from...the truth.

We Killed Truth

The technicality upon which Jesus was condemned to die is startling:

The Chief Priest [asked], "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?"

Jesus said, "Yes, I am, and you'll see it yourself: the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One, arriving on the clouds of heaven."

The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his clothes, he yelled, "Did you hear that? You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?"

They condemned him, one and all.

The sentence: death.

Now, granted, God had this in mind all along, because often, seemingly, the most important rescue, renewal and growth come packaged in the destruction of a "seed coat." Jesus' life on earth seems a seed coat of sorts that had to be cracked open to usher in our rescue.

But the harsher reality is that we killed Truth. He said, in essence, that He was who He said He was; our response was to kill Him for telling the Truth.

Wow, wonder how many other times we kill truth, opting instead for believing what we want to believe.

 Tomorrow: a look at some of the truths we kill.

Love Sways

We are all swayed by love at some point in our lives.

A person, a passion, a dream--we may love any or all of these and thus be swayed into action.

Or inaction.

Isn't it curious that the greatest love the world has ever known is absolutely ours for the taking--and is often refused?

The most intimate, personal, unconditional and life-changing love is offered every minute of every day to every person that is alive from God, our Creator.

Yet many of us resist.

It is like having the thirst of the century, standing beside the cleanest, purest water available--and saying "No, thank you."

What a mystery!

Solving the mystery lies in understanding what IS swaying the person who says no to the love of the God of the universe.

Drink up. Let God's perfect love sway you.

Visiting Painful Memories

Your last visit probably had a destination, an emotional experience of some kind, and a takeaway that left you better or worse for having made the visit.

Maybe you traveled to see a sick friend, spent time laughing over old memories--thus refreshing your relationship, and left with the warmth of encouraging each other.

We make mind visits as well. We visit memories, and on the day that we visit the most painful ones, we should set a few parameters for our time away.

No random visits. Every visit to painful memory land should happen when time is set aside to visit and recover. The visit is intentional and limited.

No unescorted visits. Always invite God along so He can help you sort through the rubble and thorns and regrets and sadness. God as escort is protection for your tender heart.

No stowaways. When you return from painful memory land to resume your normal activities, do not bring extra weight from the pain just visited. Ask God to check your baggage to make sure you are lighter upon your return.

Feeding your strength includes mind strength--it may be the most important facet of your overall power to interact in this world.

We have control over the visits of our mind. Plan carefully and consider your need for a travel agent.

I hear God is the best of the best.

The Franchise for Creative Spirit

Dear Lord,

You are the Author of all creativity. We are often taught that You are hard and judging and unreachable. That couldn't be further from the Truth.

You must smile when You check on the myriad of deep-ocean thriving species that man has yet to discover. They are hidden yet in full view to You for Your enjoyment--just one example of Your inexhaustible creativity.

You must be saddened when we drive by leaves and wildflowers and sunsets and gentle rolling plains without so much as a glance at this creativity, all because we rush to something we think is much more humanly important.

You own the franchise on Creative Spirit, for all that is made was made by You. Are You waiting on us to pray for creative spirit, that our view of You might expand? That we might begin to understand how tenderly and precisely and beautifully You care for all of Your creation?

Do You want us to become part owner in Your franchise? May we pursue this creative spirit, that it would help us see and create and share and serve?

I pray that You would activate my creative spirit, with which I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me foster my creative spirit to serve others and to bring You joy.

There seems no higher calling than to franchise with You, Creator of the Universe.

Amen.

The Encouragement Circle

High on God's agenda, it seems, is encouraging one another.

We often forget the power of encouragement and leave many strengthening words unsaid.

Enter the Encouragement Circle.

This incredibly powerful activity consists of putting all the names of the group at hand--family members, friends, co-workers, whatever group is seeking to benefit from encouragement--into a bowl while everyone sits in a circle facing each other.

One person prays that the Holy Spirit might give each encourager the words to say and then each participant draws a name.

The name you draw is the person that you get to encourage with words of admiration and notice.

I think you are so good at...

What strikes me about you is your...

I appreciate that...

Encouragement is God-empowered, and every Encouragement Circle, if Holy Spirit driven, will become a life-giving environment that leaves each person strengthened and brightened.

In families, a weekly Encouragement Circle would become the highlight, and every set of encouraging words would be the pillars of strength that children carry through their tough years of adolescence. A pattern of encouragement keeps communication lines open and forgiveness more accessible.

Consider God's agenda of encouragement for those in your circle.

He's a pro at it and would love for us to learn from the best.