Truth is...

It starts innocently enough.

We are all encouraged to have a positive self-image, right? I mean, you can't "love your neighbor as you love yourself" if you don't first love yourself.

Then we want to make sure other people recognize how lovable we are, prompting them to appreciate our personal greatness. (A synonym for prompting is provoking.)

And what happens as we encounter people who have no need to compare or contrast themselves to others to feel good about themselves? We wish we could be like them, and that's called envy.

Most people quote the tenth commandment as "Thou shalt not covet." What most people don't do is translate that churchy word covet into something that normal people understand. You know ... something like envy.

Don't misunderstand. We have good reason to carry around a positive self-image. After all, Jesus thinks we're to die for! But before we get over-impressed with ourselves, let's remember the reason he died. And those sins of yours that put Jesus on the cross are "just as bad" as mine. And mine are just as bad as my neighbor's. 

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Truth is...The ground at the foot of the cross is perfectly level.

      

You see it every time political power changes hands: a new leader is suddenly surrounded by eager voices, each insisting they’re the truest supporter, each angling for a favor, a position, or a slice of the budget.

It makes total sense ... if your hopes for personal advancement, success, and security are pinned to a politician.

But if you long for real truth and justice, it would be good to heed the words of Charles Colson:

Where is the hope? I meet millions who tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us. Where is the hope? The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us or what laws are passed or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that’s where our hope is in this country. That’s where our hope is in life.

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Truth is...Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  -  Psalm 20:7 (NIV)

      

To provide some context, Luke tells us the twelve disciples were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest. I can imagine Peter pointed out his natural leadership abilities and how he helped run the family's fishing business. James and John probably thundered out their own reasoning why they should be respected just a bit more than the others.

Then Jesus butts in with the bombshell that a true leader is a servant to the ones he leads. And he backs it up by pointing out that's what he's been doing all along.

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Truth is...I am reminded of the following illustration demonstrating the difference between a boss and a leader.

      

There are plenty of people who freely admit to not fully understanding the role of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity or within our lives.

And that's okay.

I mean, the Holy Spirit is God, and as I've said on more than one occasion, if God is completely understandable, he's not much of a god, is he?

But there are some things about the Holy Spirit that we can know for certain because Jesus told us. Just in this one verse, he tells us five things about the Holy Spirit.

   1. He is the Counselor, providing guidance and comfort.
   2. Jesus has sent him, so his presence is a kept promise and a positive thing for us.
   3. He is "of truth." No falsehood can be connected with him.
   4. He is "sent from the Father" and "proceeds from the Father." He is just as much "part of diety" as Jesus, who was also sent from the Father. (John 8:42, et al)
   5. He testifies about Jesus. If something that seems spiritual is drawing attention to anyone or anything other than Jesus, we had best be careful.

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Truth is...Historically, opinions and arguments about the Holy Spirit have been responsible for division and disruption. My prayer is that, instead, he will be allowed to do his work, guiding us into all truth and uniting our hearts in Jesus.

      

Have you ever been dumbfounded? Perhaps speechless? How about taciturn, tight-lipped, or tongue-tied?

I admit there have been many times when I've looked at the chaos surrounding me and have been utterly gobsmacked. It's hard to know how to even begin praying in the face of a world gone crazy.

But the Apostle Paul brings us good news, friends. Our prayers do not need to be peppered with perfect prose. The Holy Spirit, being God, knows exactly how we feel and is able to bring our burdens to Yahweh in a way that is beyond words.

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Truth is...sometimes the most effective prayer is a sigh ... or a sob.