Truth is...

A little pity, please, for poor Simon . . . assumingly in the area for Passover and Pentecost, over 1,000 miles from his home in Northern Africa. He's heading into Jerusalem from wherever he was staying during his pilgrimage and is voluntold to join a procession going out of the city; forced to carry the tool of execution for a condemned man who had been beaten to a pulp and was unable to carry it himself.

It was totally unfair. He hadn't done anything wrong. He did not deserve to be carrying that cross to Golgotha.

Hmm . . . Just like Jesus.

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Truth is...We are all called to be just like Jesus.

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Luke 9:23

If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
1 Peter 2:20-21

      

To care at all about this question Jesus asked, first you have to believe there IS such a thing as a soul.

In my days as a health class guest speaker, touting the advantages of abstinence before marriage without bringing religion into it, I was still able to talk about how there is something about us humans that is more than blood and bone and organs and tissue. "There is something here that makes me Me! And that something deserves to be cared for and protected."

According to today's Scripture, Jesus thought a person's soul was a pretty precious commodity. To squander one's integrity for the sake of something as temporary as money or popularity would qualify a person to be considered a fool.

And Jesus wasn't the only one to think so:

Solomon knew what he was talking about, too!

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Truth is...Anything attainable through human effort here on Planet Earth is, at best, temporary. But that something that makes me Me and you You? That is beyond the physical and temporary, and when placed in the care of Jesus, capable of everlasting joy.

BONUS: To hear the Dave Burkum song that today's title was stolen from, CLICK HERE.

      

This verse comes toward the end of a story about Jesus healing a man who had been born blind. The religious leaders were upset that Jesus had worked this miracle on the Sabbath and were grilling the formerly-blind beggar.

It has set me to thinking about what Jesus has done to me and how he opened my eyes.

• Gave me parents who never treated church as an optional thing.
• Gave me a mind that appreciates the logical points of apologetics, showing me that faith in Christ isn't just "because the Bible says so."
• Softened my heart to feel my need for a Savior.
• Made sure Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands a Verdict got published.
• Put a young man named Wendell in my life who modeled excitement for the Word and the power of Jesus to transform lives.
• Moved Bob Stacey to create a ministry named "Christ in Youth."
• Led David Meece to write the song "We Are the Reason."
• Has placed me within church congregations and meaningful relationships that have increased my experience of his love and my internal database of wisdom.

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Truth is...while Jesus is the only way to have intimacy with God, there are many paths that lead to Jesus. What's yours?

      

Some people have had a little bit-o-trouble with this verse. Historically, Martin Luther was one of them.

It seems the conviction that salvation cannot be earned, while correct, has made the word work distasteful. "Sola Fide! Faith alone!"

It might help to know that the word translated spirit here can also mean breath...or even wind. The Names of God Bible takes that into account and translates the verse like this:

A body that doesn’t breathe is dead.
In the same way, faith that does nothing is dead.

I may have faith that a tightrope walker can safely carry me on a cable strung hundreds of feet above the ground, but if I never let the guy pick me up and start balancing his way across the highwire, my supposed faith is meaningless.

If I believe that Jesus not only forgives me, but transforms me, that has to affect what I do and say. It's not enough to "just believe." James said in verse 19, "Even the demons believe  -  and they shudder."

Don't misunderstand me. I am not saying we work our way to salvation. I am saying that our salvation will work its way out into the world through our feet, our hands, and our mouths.

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Truth is...The proof really is in the pudding.

      

According to verse 24, the person being talked about here is a "hateful person." In other translations, he is known as "an enemy."

Whatever you call him, he is no stranger.

• He is the government official who signs a treaty he never intends to honor.
• He is the politician who promises unity while targeting different groups.
• He is the friendly, helpful neighbor who gossips behind your back.
• He is the family member who excuses his passive-aggressive comments as jokes.

You know what else he is? He is doomed.

The legislative body will launch an investigation. The church will instigate accountability. The family reunion will become an intervention.

The truth will come out, and, as promised, set you free. That won't necessarily be pleasant for "the hateful person," but it will be a little bit of justice brightening the corner where you are.

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Truth is...Present circumstances are never the end of the story.