DOING THE TRUTH
Scripture for the day: John 3:20-21 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
Thought for the day: Jesus was having an intense conversation with Nicodemus, the Pharisee who had come to Him by night for fear of his fellow religious leaders. I have to believe that Jesus was doing one of two things as Nicodemus struggled with his faith. He may have been rolling His eyes in wonder that this man, steeped in the Law and holding an advanced degree in Biblical Interpretation, somehow couldn’t grasp the simple truth of spiritual birth. On the other hand, Jesus may have been smiling there in the dark as He watched an honest soul struggle with the truth of the gospel. I’m leaning toward the smiling in the dark side of things. Jesus knew Nicodemus was sincere and He was willing to go that proverbial extra mile for anyone who was honest enough to want to know the whole truth.
Earlier in this chapter Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about the need to be “born again” and how he could be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with the Father because of the Father’s love and His provision for such reconciliation through the willing sacrifice of the Son. He concluded His teaching of the teacher of Israel with the assurance that He’d not come to condemn Nicodemus, or anyone else in the whole world, but that through Him they might be saved.
Then in verse 18, Jesus told Nicodemus that anyone who believes in Him would not be condemned. But even that idea of belief carries with it the idea of more than just an intellectual ascent. Recently a friend sent me a note that proudly quoted that fact the 86% of the people in America ‘believe in God’. I said, “That’s a wonderful statistic. Now go take a poll to find out how many believe God; and not just “in” God. You see, belief, if it’s real, must lead to action. What’s on the inside will eventually show up in actions and attitudes on the outside of a person. Doing the truth is more important than simply believing the truth. It’s crucial to believe in Jesus, but that belief, if it’s real, must show itself in actions – we’ve been called to do more than share Jesus with our world; we’ve been commissioned to be Jesus to our world (remember, you may be the only Jesus some people will ever see). Let me give you an example.
There are 5 sponges lying on your kitchen counter top. Each member of your family has been cleaning up different areas of your home, but all the sponges look the same. You are curious as to what was cleaned in your home, but you can't tell by looking...they all look the same....so what do you do? You squeeze each sponge to see what comes out.
As you squeeze the first sponge, you see that cola comes out, so you decide that someone cleaned the kitchen with that one. Upon squeezing the second sponge, you find tub and tile cleaner - that one was used to clean the bathroom. Next, in the third sponge, you find motor oil -- hubby was cleaning the garage! In the fourth sponge, baby powder puffs out when it is squeezed -- yep, the baby's nursery was done with that one! And finally, in the last one, is floor wax -- that was the one you used on the hall floor!
As you lay the last one down, you look again at their similarity - and they all look the same until they're squeezed. Christians are the same way. As life squeezes us, different things come out - anger from one, a need for revenge from another, tears from one, remorse from yet another - also greed, untruth, lust - and finally, from one saint, pours forth the love of Christ.
Just like the sponge, we can only squeeze out what is put in - stay in the Word daily, and be in continuous prayer, so that when life puts the squeeze on you (and it will), Jesus, and Jesus alone will shine forth from you!
No go take on your world. - Bill