“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, ESV)
There are many people in today’s world that beg the question, “What is truth?” This is a great question, for we live in a broken and sinful world, and truth is very hard to recognize and identify. My church in Birmingham, Alabama, has a ministry theme or key for each calendar year. This year, the elders chose today’s verse and the statement, “Thy Word is Truth.” I am thankful that the leaders and overseers at the church that I am a member of know that there is one thing we can always count on—The Word of God.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). You see, the Bible is the one thing we can count on as believers as fully true without error. This is imperative and vital that we believe this. When the world starts crumbling before our very own eyes and hard times and trials hit us like a ton of bricks, this truth is what we are to turn to. This truth is the Word of God!
One might ask how we can take God at his word and fully trust that the Bible is precisely accurate and inherent. I want to share two reasons I gained from an apologetics course.
First, Jesus quoted many Old Testament passages through his public ministry. He also claimed, as we see in today’s passage, that God’s Word is true and infallible.
Second, the New Testament, through God and his revelation, was written by either apostles (eyewitnesses to Jesus) or a very close friend of an apostle. Also, many of these men were martyred for their faith in Jesus and we see many examples of people getting killed because of their faith. No man or woman dies for what they know to be false. These men saw the Christ, the true and only Son of God!
As you go through life (and I know you have experienced it already), you’re going to face many dark and difficult times. It may comprise days, weeks, months, or even an entire lifetime for some of you. There will be days where you doubt God and wonder why he would allow these horrible circumstances, even this evil, to exist. I have been there, I am there, and I will continue to be there until I see my Savior one day face to face
One thing we can always bank on is our God! He is the Eternal, Changeless God. He sent his Son to earth to pay the due penalty of sin that we deserved. He then granted us freedom in Christ. Also, we can’t forget that the words contained in the Holy Bible are true and accurate. They were “breathed out by God” and we can always count on his Word, for it reminds us in all truth who God is and what he has for us as his beloved people. Let’s remember and encourage one another with the fact that “thy Word is truth.”
(Always feel free to contact me to learn more about my story/testimony of hardships and how I can be more of an encouragement to you. Or maybe you have some encouraging words for me as you have endured hard times!)
—
Rosson Anderson
February 4, 2015
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.