"Truth or Not"
May 6, 2017
John 8:44b - (The devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
I wonder if you have heard the incredible story about the husband and wife who found they were unable to have children without assistance. Not wishing to give up on having children, they went to a fertility clinic, provided their necessary genetic material, and waited for the verdict.
The verdict was a shock. The couple was told they actually were fraternal twins.
This is the rest of their story: their biological parents died in an auto accident when they were young. The twins were split up and adopted into different families. Unfortunately, those adopting families were never told there was a twin somewhere out there. In ignorance the twins grew up, and attended college where they met, dated, and married.
How is that for a remarkable story?
Do you know what is really remarkable about the tale? Can you guess? No, you'll never manage it. The most remarkable part of that story is this: it is a story. Not a jot or tittle is true; the story is a hoax, made up by the Mississippi Herald.
It is a hoax that was accepted by all the news services, and all the newspapers, and all the radio and TV stations with all of their crackerjack news people, and all of their lawyers and personnel specifically dedicated to vetting the veracity of these strange stories, from beginning to end.
Now if you're wondering why I have spent so much time telling a tall tale, I can give you an answer: it was to show that Adam and Eve were not the only people put on earth to swallow a good lie -- hook, line and sinker.
And if there is one thing the devil, aka, the "father of lies" does well it is this: he makes his fibs seem like 24-carat-truth. .If you listen with a discerning ear, you will be able to pick up some of those lies that people find to be so very palatable:
• All religions are the same and they all lead to the same god.
• It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.
• It doesn't make a difference if you go to church; the place is filled with hypocrites.
I could go on. I won't. Instead, I will point out that in contrast to the devil we have the Savior. In one of His "I am" passages in John, the Christ said, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6b).
Yes, Jesus is the one and only Truth who can grant us salvation.
This He does because from start to finish He was obedient to His Father's will and stayed faithful to the plan of salvation, which demanded He die so we might live. And because this is true, the Savior could assure us that "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me a discerning mind and heart so I might distinguish between Your truth and Satan's lies. Keep me safe from the devil's deceptions and always safe in Your great grace. This I ask in the Name of Him who is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. Amen.
