Tuesday, March 18, 2014

"What is truth?"

   I've recently been doing a study on "truth" and have been so encouraged by it!  There are so many verses in the Bible about "truth", how we need to walk with it, hide it in our hearts, rejoice in it, love in truth, etc.   "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4) has become my daily prayer.  I pray that God will build a hedge around my children and that they will grow up "walking in truth".  But just what do these verses mean?  Like Pilate, I asked myself, "What is truth?"
   Well, obviously, the Word of God is truth (Psalms. 119:142, "...thy law is truth.")  The Bible says we are to hide this Word in our hearts so that we might not sin against the Lord.  We are to memorize it, study it, search the scriptures, saturate ourselves with it.  No one can destroy His Word.  People have tried to get rid of the Bible and have failed.  Psalms 100:5 says, "his truth endureth to all generations."  This "truth" will also lead us.  (Psalms 43:3, "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me".)  The Word is also a light to guide our path.
   But what about "Rejoice in truth" (1 Corinthians 13:6), "Love in truth" (1 John 3:18), "the Truth will set you free" (John 8:32)?   How do you rejoice in truth, love in truth, etc?   Well, not only is the Word of God truth, but also God Himself is Truth!  (John 1:1 "The Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.")  There are many verses that talk about "the God of truth", or the truth being "in Jesus", (Ephesians 4:21 "... as the truth is in Jesus".)   And one that covers it all, John 14:6 says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..."
   So the Word is truth.  We ought to memorize it, hide it in our hearts, study it, love it.  But also the Lord Jesus Christ himself is truth.  John 8:32 says, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  If you know Christ, he'll make you free!  Free from what?  Well, most importantly, we are free from Hell and an eternal death.  That one is automatic when we accept Him into our hearts.  But he'll also make you free from many other things as well.  Some of which we choose to stay in bondage to.  Things like anger, bitterness, fear, sorrow, confusion, hurt, etc.  So many Christian are confused, not knowing which direction to go, how to handle certain situations, or wonder why God would let bad things happen to them.  They wallow in sorrow, and fear, and hurt. They become stagnant in their Christian walk.  They dwell on the past, or things that people said to them in anger or spite.  Some Christians are simply confused as to what God wants them to do, where He wants them to go.  They are constantly trying new things hoping that its the "right thing" that God is pleased with.   This is bondage!  The Bible says that "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace."  So why then do we struggle so much with discouragement, insecurities, and confusion?
   Perhaps because there is a shortage of the Truth in our hearts.  I find that when I slack off on my Bible reading, I begin to have problems with these things.  When my walk with God is not what it should be, I struggle more.  Simply because I'm trying to do it all on my own without the guiding light of truth to lead me.
   So, my prayer that my children will walk in truth?  That not only means that I need to teach them the scriptures, but I also need to teach them how to walk with the Truth itself, the Lord Jesus Christ.  It needs to be on the inside and the outside!  So many Christian know a lot of Bible, but their walk with God is lacking.  The two need to go hand in hand.  When we have the scriptures filling our hearts and minds, and we are cultivating our love for the Lord, we will then automatically love others as He loves them.  We will rejoice in truth because the Bible says that "...in His presence is fullness of joy".  And we will truly be free!   Oh the peace that Jesus gives!
   So what is truth?  Truth was standing right in front of Pilate and yet he missed it.  How often have we had the truth at our finger tips and we continue to struggle along living an absolutely miserable existence of our own choosing simply because we won't reach out and take it.  How many Bibles does the average Christian have in their house?  I own several myself!  And yet, many times those Bibles are the biggest dust collectors of most homes today.  God has given us the truth, and yet we search every place but there for our answers.  Its so simple!  This is the answer so many search for!  If we will only reach out and take this truth into our hearts.  Oh the peace, joy, and freedom we can experience!


   We had a great time in TN last week!  Andy really enjoyed the Pastor's School at Cornerstone Baptist Church, and I had fun hitting the local thrift store and even a yard sale.  Imagine a yard sale in the middle of March!  Ok, I've been in the north too long. :)  Its still cold up here! It was nice seeing family again!   The kids did great on the trip home, and even Wesley endured the 7 hour trip with hardly any fussing.

Audra looks so comfortable!

We'd taken the kids shoes off in the van and when we got home, I told Christian to stay off the grass so that he wouldn't get his socks cold and wet.  He ran to the house by way of the side walk, dropped off his load of stuffed animals, blanket, and a few other treasures from the long car ride.  As I rounded the garage with my own armload of things, I noticed Christian playing with this snow shovel IN THE GRASS.  I knew his shoes were buried somewhere in the van, and as I opened my mouth to scold him for disobeying, I noticed that his feet had suddenly grown drastically!  My reprimand turned into giggles as Andy came around the corner of the garage and saw his nice shiny dress shoes out there in that wet muddy grass.  Leave it to a 3 yr. old to come up with a safe way around the rules.  :)  Hey, he WAS wearing shoes!  And his socks were dry as crackers, so everything was okay, right?  :) 


Another healthy kid friendly recipe!  :)

Applesauce Muffins
1 1/2 C. flour
1 C. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. applesauce
1/2 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. squash puree
1/2 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C. oil
1 egg

 Topping:
2/3 C. quick cooking oats
1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbls butter, softened

*Combine flour, oats, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl, combine applesauce with the milk, squash puree, sugar, oil, and egg.  Add the flour mixture slowly and stir until just moistened.  Batter will be lumpy.  Divide batter evenly into greased muffin cups.  Combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl, and sprinkle on top of muffins.  Place muffin pan into a 375' oven for about 20 min or til muffins spring back when touched.  Turn muffins out onto rack to cool. 





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