Remember the Mad Hatter? "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!?" Sorry for the lateness of the hour. I'm leaving for vacation in two days and I'm running around like I have never been on vacation before!
Back to more serious things. Remember our scripture for the week: "Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down." 2 Corinthians 13:5-10
Today's focus is on the sentence that says, "For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth." You know, this verse speaks so clearly to me - no matter what, there is a Truth in this world. That truth is real and alive and there is NOTHING anyone can do to stop it!
So many times we see the evil of the world, the destruction, the sorrow, and shake our heads in morbid fascination with how horrible the times are. The world can look at things like the earthquake in Haiti, crimes against children, and suicide bombers and wonder, where is God? Heck, it's not just the world who wonders - sometimes we wonder, too. Right? I know I have! I have wondered when God is going to put a stop to the nonsense of the world. We see this also in Revelation chapter 6: They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (verse 10)
How long, God? Why, God? God, where are you? Are you there? What did I do? We've all asked these questions, if we look deeply inward. The questions are not sinful. Those questions enter into sin when the questioners begin to believe that God won't answer. That God doesn't care, that He's nowhere to be found.
Come on, now. Right? Unless you've lived your life in a cave you've had a hurt so deep and so bad that you have questioned God's plan, His purpose, His very love for you. Again, the questions aren't the sin. The answers are. Rather, the wrong answers are.
Because no matter the question, the TRUTH is the answer. The TRUTH is that God is love. Remember 1 John 4:7-8: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." He is love. That's the truth (the whole truth and nothing but!).
No matter how many earthquakes . . . God is love. No matter how many murders . . . God is love. No matter how much you are hurting . . . God is love. No matter what you've done. No matter how many times you've failed. No matter the hurt you've caused. No matter the relationships you've killed. NO MATTER WHAT. The truth is still the truth. He loves you. Repeat after me: He loves me. He loves me. He loves me.
He loves you. And that's the truth.
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