Based on “How Jesus' Birth Changed Everything, Part 5” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
1/1-2/11, Message #MB445; Daily Devotional #5 - “Truth Be Told”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): There are a thousand ways to tell a lie, but only one way to tell the truth. Language is useful in communicating our thoughts. Our words can be used for the purpose of expressing both truth and deception. Even though we express our desire to know the truth, our sin nature causes us to go to great lengths to avoid it. In this world, blatant honesty doesn’t often win elections, create success in business, or win the heart of a love interest. In reality, successful people are not always the most “honest,” but are those who are capable of convincing us that their point of view is the truth. There are times in our lives, however, when we value truth above all else. For example, we love a physician with a good bedside manner when we are healthy, but we value honesty, integrity, and skill over a good bedside manner when our condition is life threatening. As Christ followers, we often become fearful when God opens a door for us to witness to a stranger, a neighbor, or our own families. Discomforted by that fear, we may pass up an opportunity to speak to someone who is seeking to understand the truth that we already know.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42-44) We have no way of knowing when Christ will return, but the Bible assures us that it will not occur at a convenient hour. Whether or not we live to experience the Rapture, we will all face our day of judgment. Admittedly, it is easier for us to spread the Good News than it is to speak of God’s wrath. But all of us have loved ones who don’t know Jesus. We may meet resistance or rejection when witnessing to them, but we pray that God will call an obedient Christ follower to witness to them successfully. For who among us would want one of our loved ones to endure the wrath of God?
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): It is often easier to remain silent when we hear a lie than it is to confess the truth. Speaking the truth, of the Good News and the bad, often carries consequences. We may be inconvenienced as Philip was when the Holy Spirit moved him to travel miles to witness to one man (Acts 8:26-39). We may anger our family members or lose our friends. We may even be chastised or persecuted. So what is the value of risking all of this? Today, after I finished writing the first paragraph of this devotion, a friend called me. A woman I had never met had been admitted to the hospital with a serious illness. Only God can explain how He called four Christ followers, some had never previously met one another, who went to visit her together. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to empower us, and prayed that He meet her greatest need. In her room, with a group of people, some whom she barely knew and one she didn’t know at all, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. This woman is someone’s mother, someone’s daughter, someone’s neighbor, even though she is virtually a stranger to us. She needs our love and our prayers. That is why it is worth the risk!
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Isaiah 61:1-2; 1Thessalonians 5:9
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