26
Sep '17
Defining Truth
26
Sep '17
Truth as defined by Webster is that which is true and in accordance with fact or reality; accurate or exact.
In the 1828 yearly edition of Webster, definition for the word truth even quotes Jesus in the gospel of John stating “Sanctify them by your truth father, your word is truth.”
The Bible states, “If teaching or advice is true, then it will agree with the words of Jesus. Luke 9:35
Disciples Peter, James and John actually heard God audibly at Jesus baptism,
“This is my son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him.”
These days, we often hear statements like “Truth is what I define it to be.”
Regrettably, comments like these are a common way of thinking… that each of us can define our own truth.
This comes from a belief that truth is not an absolute, but rather relative to an individual’s way of thinking.
Without absolutes, right and wrong can not only be defined however we want it, but can change when convenient.
Perhaps we believe it’s okay to steal since it is needed, it’s okay to lie if we don’t get caught or
it’s okay to view inappropriate things on a computer since it’s private. I say no. No, no, a thousand times no!
Until we discover God’s truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit, this can be seemingly acceptable behavior.
All truth is God’s truth. He doesn’t use it to hold us back, but to create loving boundaries for our good.
God provides the absolutes for living a life that is not only pleasing to Him, but also contributes to a healthy society. Without moral absolutes, actions become chaotic and each person lives only for themselves. Acting on truth is a choice, and like many choices God allows us to make influences how we interact with people and God. If we agree it is only God’s Word that reveals truth, then we behave one way and it is noticeable. If our behavior is not based on God’s truth, this too is noticeable…. by a spouse, by a child, by employers and by God.
So how do we define truth? Not by the world’s standards,
what our friends say or what’s fed to us by the media.
Only by the Word of God.
As Christ followers, let’s tighten the Belt of Truth and put on the Armor of God!
We can’t act on truth- or even model it- until we personally discover it, and then choose to do what is right.
Author: Randy Ortgiesen is a Husband, Father and Grandfather
who loves Jesus and serves as an Elder at Faith Assembly.
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18
Sep '17
A Stone of Remembrance
18
Sep '17
Everyone experiences moments in life that are big.
Birthdays like… 13 (finally a teenager!) 16 (now I can drive!) 18 (I’m an adult!)
Graduations & new jobs
Wedding day & new homes
Graduations & new jobs
Wedding day & new homes
The birth of your first child & raising a family
All those same milestones with your children and grandchildren
Your own life transitions and eventually, retirement
It seems that our church is in the middle of one of these types of moments right now as we’re working through the purchase of a new campus for our grade school.
What about moments that mark other big personal life changes?
Reaching a major life goal
Paying off your house
Getting a promotion
Reaching a major life goal
Paying off your house
Getting a promotion
Discovering a new thing about yourself
Experiencing deep personal healing
Restoring a lost relationship
It seems that the biggest life moments tend to center around the deeper and more personal things. They shape our lives and create the deepest memories.
Sometimes they can be harder to talk about, and sometimes we can’t wait to stand on a roof and crow. They are the moments that tend to mark the change from what was to what has become. The last thing we want to do is go back to the old life of what was.
In Joshua 3 & 4, we find the story of Israel crossing the Jordan River on their way into the Promised Land. This moment marked the end of two eras in Israel’s painful history: 400 years of slavery in Egypt and 40 years of desert wandering. This particular generation of people was well acquainted with the on-going pains of desert life; food and water were a constant concern, safety from dangerous neighbors plagued them and a continual sensation of not belonging anywhere reminded them they still had not found home.
God told them to cross the Jordan River with the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. Joshua describes the waters immediately receding as far north as the city of Adam (15 miles upriver), as well as all the tributary streams down river toward the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). By the way, the river was already at flood stage as always at this time of year.
While crossing, Joshua picked up 12 stones from the middle of the river and built an altar of thanks to the Lord in the exact place the priests were standing, while all Israel crossed in front of them on dry ground. He also ordered the leaders of Israel to pick up 12 more stones in order to build another altar of thanks after they finished crossing. That altar was built near the city of Gilgal.
Joshua named this altar a “Stone of Remembrance” to remind Israel that what was will never be again, and what has become
is now their new freedom.
The “Stone of Remembrance” was a permanent symbol of God’s faithfulness.
It visually showed that…
God provided through their painful hardships
God provided through their painful hardships
God declared they had come to their place of promise and freedom
God provided a reminder that freedom deserves reverence
God provided a visible barrier to never return to the way things were.
Mark your big moments with a “Stone of Remembrance.”
Raise it so it’s plainly visible in your life and home. Keep it as a reminder that by God’s grace, You will never return to the way things were.
Author: Jon Marx, Lead Pastor at Faith Assembly
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23
Aug '17
Grace in the Grey
23
Aug '17
It would be nice if the world were always black or white, where issues and circumstances were either one way or the other,
right or wrong, good or bad and so on…life just might be easier to navigate.
Don’t misunderstand, I do believe there are absolutes in this world.
Good and evil. Right and wrong. I believe this with every fiber of my being.
I also believe that these things are instilled deep inside of us.
Good and evil. Right and wrong. I believe this with every fiber of my being.
I also believe that these things are instilled deep inside of us.
Things such as a true sense of justice, crimes that turn our stomachs
and leave no doubt in our mind, actions and words that hurt, steal or wound.
There are all kinds of right and wrong… pretty obvious ones.
I believe that God himself created us to know it.
But while there are black and white issues in the world,
there are also circumstances that live somewhere between the black and white.
Somewhere in the blur of the grey.
We don’t typically like the grey.
The grey is nebulous. The grey doesn’t offer quick and easy answers.
The grey can present itself suddenly, or very slowly over time.
The grey is nebulous. The grey doesn’t offer quick and easy answers.
The grey can present itself suddenly, or very slowly over time.
And the grey isn’t always wrong…or always right.
There isn’t always a cut and dried practical, logical, or spiritual answer.
One of the problems with human nature is that we are often too quick to jump to conclusions about other people and their grey.
Too quick to look at a situation we think we know a little something about and call it black or white.
Too often, I’ve witnessed people quoting scripture to “prove” their judgement of what they perceive
as right or wrong…for everyone else but themselves.
Without knowing all the facts.
Without walking in their shoes.
Without understanding their journey.
Without, well… grace.
Truth is, real life is lived in a variety of colors.
Remember when you were a kid playing with watercolor?
Sometimes when certain colors were mixed- or mixed too much-
they would blur together to make a not-so-pretty, unattractive mess.
Sometimes our life is like that. Messy. Okay, maybe more than sometimes!
This is where grace comes in.
The loving them through it part.
Giving people grace and time to work through their grey, even if you don’t agree and even if it’s not on your timetable.
And guess what, that includes
grace for you.
If God offers us His grace and love to lavishly, who are we to not offer that same grace to ourselves and others?
And the beautiful thing is that Jesus- the one who entered our fallen grey state- is also in our grey even now,
working on our behalf, gently leading us into clarity… and eventually, full color.
I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Psalm 94:18-19
Psalm 94:18-19
Author: Michelle Marx
You can read more of Michelle’s writing on her personal blog PianoGirlSpeaks,
or often under the topic of Soul Care for Seedbed.com.
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