Faith Sense

 

 

“Whatever is only almost true is quite false, and among the most dangerous of errors because being so near the truth, it is more likely to lead astray.”

                                                                                                Henry Ward Beecher

 

I used the quote above at the end of my sermon on Sunday night, and had a request about it, so I decided to use it as the basis of the article this week.
Beecher’s point is obviously accurate. If we someone uses elements of truth in making an assertion or proclaiming a position, it is much more likely to be accepted. The little step away from the whole truth is not really a big deal; we can still see the truth from where we now stand.

 

There are at least two dangers from that kind of thinking. One is that the place we are now standing is not level and leaves us in jeopardy of slipping or stumbling further from the security of truth. Perhaps more to the point but less easily seen is that when you leave the truth, you are standing on a lie. We see it as a rationalization, or socially desirable, or expedient. But the fact is that the ends never justify improper means in God’s eyes.

 

 

Untruth permeates our society these days, and most of it has an element of truth in it. That is why our politicians are so mistrusted these days. That is why the world’s view of the church is so negative these days. Christians have not stood solidly on the truth of God’s Word. They have given messages and used means that are rationalizations, or that are thought to be expedient.

 

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) So, folks, when Christians take a step away from the Truth, they have stepped away from Jesus!

I was twelve when Ben Hur came out, and I worked part time at the local theater. I knew when the chariot race would be on the screen, so every night I walked the two blocks to the theater to watch that scene. It was fabulous.  It won eleven Academy Awards.

I still love the movie and think it is one of the best ever made!

Material goods and physical possessions are THE focal points of human thought. Our carnal minds tend to see only the superficial. Men are measured by their physical abilities and success is judged by material assets. There is seldom a day that passes without us wishing we had this or that, usually in abundance. We even misunderstand those things we count as necessities.

 

The Lord has promised to provide for our needs, even more than He does for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field (Matthew 6:26-33). Our priority needs to be seeking God and His righteousness.

 

But even here we will respond to the physical. Too often our prayers are filled with words of thanks for things. “Thank you for our home, our food, our clothing and all the many blessings you have given us.” These are good words, as are words like, “Thank you most of all for Jesus who died on the cross for us.”

 

But are we seeing the true picture? Are we improperly regarding the gifts of Him Who Loves and failing to recognize properly the Love of Him Who Gives? Let’s not be guilty of placing more esteem on the gifts than the Giver.

(First published at Qassia)

Do Hard Things is a book written by teenaged twin brothers Alex and Brett Harris. It is about their rebellion against the low expectations that are placed on teens by our culture. They were unsatisfied to think of their adolescence as a vacation from responsibility until they reached adulthood and out of their own experiences there has grown a “Rebelution” among young people around the world, but especially here in the U.S.A.
At 16, after some years of speech and debate competition, the boys began to research some of the great things that had been done by young people. They were inspired to undertake some hard things themselves, as well as to inspire others of their generation to Do Hard Things.

They established a website, TheRebelution.com, which drew interest from many young people, rebelutionaries, who were convicted that they were wasting a lot of time and energy. The book tells of the experiences of not only the Harris twins, but of many of those with whom they have come in contact.

The book is inspirational. Every teen should be given a copy and challenged to a new vision for themselves and their future world!