SHARED ARTICLES
Anything Not Total Truth is Untruth Robert Schaetzle
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32 RSV
I was driving home from work many years ago, listening to a pastor on the radio warning us about half-truths, he went on to say, “be careful of listening to half-truths, it might be the wrong half.” The comment has stuck with me all these many years.
Today, we’re challenged more than ever in our lifetime as we witness the culture re-define itself as a society of ‘false information.’ Some of the business world of marketing and advertising wants us to accept their claims of how their product or service ‘will outperform or last longer simply because they say so.’
But God doesn’t score our spiritual heart condition on a curve of human reasoning, does he?
I can remember like it was yesterday… my dad had a little machine shop in the back of our property growing up. When I witnessed him agree to a job he would do, he’d seal the job bid with a handshake. Seldom would he draw up a written contract with stipulations regarding the work done. He built a reputation of moral integrity which guaranteed the truth of his promise to complete the task. That was sufficient.
Today, our desire of accuracy and truth must not be influenced by the standards of the world around us. Too many people use the term, ‘planned obsolescence,’ to be accepted as the way it is. But integral honesty is God’s work not mans.’
Father, continue to search my heart for truth that will set me free.
Robert serves in a Sharing and Caring Ministry to bring encouragement and hope. FAITHWRITERS
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32 RSV
I was driving home from work many years ago, listening to a pastor on the radio warning us about half-truths, he went on to say, “be careful of listening to half-truths, it might be the wrong half.” The comment has stuck with me all these many years.
Today, we’re challenged more than ever in our lifetime as we witness the culture re-define itself as a society of ‘false information.’ Some of the business world of marketing and advertising wants us to accept their claims of how their product or service ‘will outperform or last longer simply because they say so.’
But God doesn’t score our spiritual heart condition on a curve of human reasoning, does he?
I can remember like it was yesterday… my dad had a little machine shop in the back of our property growing up. When I witnessed him agree to a job he would do, he’d seal the job bid with a handshake. Seldom would he draw up a written contract with stipulations regarding the work done. He built a reputation of moral integrity which guaranteed the truth of his promise to complete the task. That was sufficient.
Today, our desire of accuracy and truth must not be influenced by the standards of the world around us. Too many people use the term, ‘planned obsolescence,’ to be accepted as the way it is. But integral honesty is God’s work not mans.’
Father, continue to search my heart for truth that will set me free.
Robert serves in a Sharing and Caring Ministry to bring encouragement and hope. FAITHWRITERS
What did Jesus mean when He said, 'Take up your cross and follow Me' (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)?
Let's begin with what Jesus didn't mean. Many people interpret "cross" as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they say, "That's my cross I have to carry." Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, "Take up your cross and follow Me."
When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.
Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus' day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.
Therefore, "Take up your cross and follow Me" means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called "dying to self." It's a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.
Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was"and what He would do"was distorted. They thought the Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ's own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His.
Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus assured us that trials will come to His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost. TAKEN FROM GOT QUESTION . ORG
Let's begin with what Jesus didn't mean. Many people interpret "cross" as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they say, "That's my cross I have to carry." Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, "Take up your cross and follow Me."
When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.
Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus' day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.
Therefore, "Take up your cross and follow Me" means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called "dying to self." It's a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.
Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was"and what He would do"was distorted. They thought the Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ's own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His.
Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus assured us that trials will come to His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost. TAKEN FROM GOT QUESTION . ORG