Tell The Truth - Or, At Least Don't Lie - Part 4
This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally some form of artistic mark to tie it all together.
Today's devotional is taken from: Peterson, Jordan B. 12
Rules for Life: an antidote to chaos. Great Britain: Penguin Random House,
2018. Rule 8: Tell the Truth – Or, At Least, Don’t Lie, pp. 221 - 229
Opening Thought: A lie is never a good thing. No matter how we justify it. We
should aim to live in truth. Peterson postulates a meta-goal “live in truth”[1], which, in my opinion, should
be the slogan of a major reform movement in the world.
Now, I doubt we will see this reform against lying take hold any time soon because most people when they champion for "truth", just want their subjective understanding
or fantasy for what they believe truth should be to take dominance. Thus, any rallying would be fractioned into tribes and parties.
War would reign and then the incentive to lie to support one’s false narratives and/or
fantasies would increase. Maybe this is already the reality of the world.
Real seeking of truth begins with humility, and that is why one
of my favorite quotes in history comes from Socrates, ‘I am the wisest man
alive, for I know one thing, and this is that I know nothing.’ There is a
bit of dramatic flair to this quote, but the point reigns true.
In the Christian context, God is conceptually the source of all
Being, God equals truth. When we become followers of God, we also must become seekers
of truth, and when we seek God’s will over our own, what we do is sacrifice
our fantasies of truth (or better understood as our falsehoods) in pursuit of the ultimate truth. There
is a learning curve to living this way, and in God’s truth there is mercy and
forgiveness for when we fall short of ideal, but with that said falsehood is antithetical
to the nature of God, and thus cannot be encouraged.
Opening Prayer: Lord of Truth, Clarity, and Divinity – help us to hold to truth
and be truthful in all our ways. Give us the courage to correct ourselves when
we misspeak, and if we fall to the temptation of deceit, let us feel a remorse that will move us towards reconciliation. Amen.
Scripture: Matthew 10:34 Think not that I have come to send peace
on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
Reflection: A misconception about God is that God’s merciful nature is
tolerant. Yes, God's mercy welcomes reconciliation from sinful behavior and permits
the imperfect to commune with the perfection of God through Christ, but this is not tolerance. So even though
God is merciful, it does not mean God will permit sinful behavior; including deceitful behavior or lying. God in that
way is like a sword that is cutting in nature; it separates the wheat from the
chaff. God too is cutting and the book of Revelation tells us that in the end
time all darkness, all deceit, and all sin will be cut away.
The truth holds a similar quality to God, as truth is very cutting as well. Truth does not pander to falsehood; rather it cuts through it and exposes the degrading reality falsehood carries with it. If you have yourself experienced being caught in a lie you know how much the truth can be cutting.
However, when
a person who is caught in the lie does the right thing in reconciliation: comes
clean, owns up to their mistake, explains their vulnerability as to why they felt
the need to lie, and offers recompense for any damages – the lie becomes
something of the past, the deceit holds no power over the liar anymore and the become
reborn to the truth. The process of reconciliation with truth brings new life just
as the reconciliation to God has for a new life for sinners.
But we often don’t want to talk about Jesus in this way, we
prefer the “soft” and “hippy” like Jesus. We want the mercy without the reconciliation,
we want the love without the righteousness, and we want truth bestowed upon us,
but we don’t want to leave our dens of deceit and iniquity.
So, what is the benefit of being honest, telling the truth,
holding to simplicity and accuracy, and being genuine in your endeavors? Well, I’ll
let Peterson answer that,
As you continue to live in accordance with the
truth, as it reveals itself to you, you will have to accept and deal with the
conflicts that mode of Being will generate. If you do so, you will continue to
mature and become more responsible, in small ways (don’t underestimate their
importance) and in large. You will ever more closely approach your newer and
more wisely formulated goals, and become even wiser in their formulation when
you discover and rectify your inevitable error. Your conception of what is
important will become more and more appropriate, as you incorporate the wisdom
of your experience. You will quit wildly oscillating and walk ever more
directly towards the good … 2
Challenge for the Week: Every time you go to speak this week ask
yourself the question, “is what I am about to say truthful in all ways?” If you
can say no in any respect, reconsider your response.
Prayer for your week: God, help us to speak honestly to this existence,
which is an extension of Your amazing Being. Help us to be truthful in this existence,
so we can be more connected to Your will. Amen.
Artistic Close: Have you ever written in a journal or diary
and found it hard to write down the truth in a secret place. The more dishonest
we are the more we also lie to ourselves. So write and speak the truth!
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