March 25

Putting On Truth

Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making.  ––Proverbs 16:11

It’s brutal out there, men: Wars and rumors of wars; disinformation; false information; flat-out lies. It’s easy to get discouraged scrolling through the news headlines, isn’t it? Or worse, feeling so overwhelmed or helpless that we just tune out. I mean, life is hard enough “right where we live” to take on even more. It’s tempting to just become cauterized to the woes of the world.

To complicate things, we live in a post-truth era when emotions seem to matter more than facts. Post a meme about a political issue that strikes a chord and you get clicks and likes, and the algorithm then sends the same meme to the feeds of “those with similar interests.” It’s now moved like pollen on the legs of a bee who share the same hive. It doesn’t matter if the information is fake or false, you now have a “hive” of like-minded people nodding their heads.

Man of God, the only way to stay grounded is to constantly check back to the ultimate Source of truth. Now more than ever, we must stay rooted to that Source, and continually check ourselves before we type, post, or speak about topics of importance. Also, no matter the trends of culture or the style of this or that media outlet or personality, civility is critical. Thoughtfulness is not weakness, men. In this case, keeping your head while those around you lose theirs is what God’s standard of manhood requires.

Remember that many of Jesus’ followers were under the false impression that He had returned as the conquering hero to overthrow their Roman oppressors. They embraced fake news … and they lived with Jesus! It took a long time for some folks to truly grasp the truth that He came not to conquer the Romans in the material world, but to conquer death in the spiritual realm. So when we are confused, when things are chaotic and tense, we must always return to Christ’s truth. Through the Helper, His Holy Spirit, we have the most effective news filter. Through God’s Word we have the ultimate source of what defines truth and what does not.

Don’t let the world’s news and social media posts become your primary source of what is true in the world. Aggressively check for facts; seek out different points of view; think before responding to those with opposing opinions. But above all, filter all that the world publishes through the eternal Word of God, and not the other way around.

None of us has a corner on the truth. Only God. It is possible to walk with godliness and strength without bashing or bullying your opponents. Help your safe brothers stay grounded in God’s truth, and allow them to do the same.

Father, the news can be discouraging and I am often angry and overwhelmed. May I always run to You in those times and filter what I hear, see, and read through Your eternal Word.