Seeking Truth

Seeking Truth

 

Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) However, He didn’t say that we should just believe Him blindly. Actually, there are many times throughout the Bible that we are told to test what we hear. We are to discern between what is true and what is false. We are called to be seeking truth continually.

 

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Psalms 34:8

 

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

1 John 4:1 (ESV)

 

Discern without Jumping to Conclusions

In a previous post, I Believe In Jesus Now What? I cautioned against jumping to conclusions to quickly. So, what should we do, pray and ask God to help us in our understanding. With God’s help, and because we are willing to be open to listen, our journey of seeking truth will be more joyous and fruitful.

 

Many times, as we read the Bible or hear a teaching it may seem off- even just a little bit. Could it be that it sounds wrong because of our preconceived notions? Maybe it doesn’t line up with another scripture or teaching you have heard before. It is very possible that your initial hesitation to believe what you heard or read could be incorrect or it could be due to a misinterpretation.

 

Here is a solid rule of thumb; check your interpretation against other verses in the Bible. And know that the Bible does not contradict itself. Therefore, if a chapter or verse goes against what you are interpreting then your interpretation is off. It’s okay, it is just time to go back to the drawing board, pray and think on it some more.

 

A Heart for Truth

 

When we come to the Lord with a heart seeking truth, He is faithful. Now, I cannot say that He will give a clear answer in a set time. However, He will give you peace about it for now. There are thoughts that have mulled through my mind for years before I was able to fully understand them. Some I may never fully understand on this side of heaven.

This is a good thing, because God did not give us a brain for nothing. He wants us to use our brain to think on His Word, and to meditate on it. As we do we need to be aware of our motives. When we come humbly and simply to learn from Him we are more likely to get to the truth we are seeking.

 

In Psalms 119 David says this,

 

“Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of they law.
I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.”

Psalm 119:17-19

 

 

Great Resource

 

You can also check a Bible commentary or what someone else you trust has to say. The Blue Letter Bible is a great site to check, because you can look at commentary and see what the original word meaning is in Greek or Hebrew. I use this often and the app is also easy to use.

 

The Disciples

 

At a time in Jesus’ ministry when many of His followers deserted Him, He asked the twelve if they we going to leave and Peter answered,

 

“…Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

John 6:68-69

Peters answer tells us that he, and those who would stay, had a heart for seeking truth, and that they believed they had found “words of eternal life” Now, that’s powerful.

 

Therefore, we know that the men who had been with Jesus day and night had tested His words, actions, etc… They had seen the miracles and heard His teachings. They had tested and found Him true and pure.

 

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”

Jer 15:16

 

Would You Die for a Lie

 

We know that every one of the twelve died, most died because they wouldn’t deny that Jesus was the Christ. Therefore, I think we can safely say that they were not just blindly believing what was said. So, how many people do you know who would die for something that they were not 100% sure of.

 

The good news, the more you read the Bible the more this verse becomes true. If it hasn’t already, it will soon stir joy deep within your soul.

 

Jesus is the Word

 

John, the disciple that Jesus loves, makes sure that we understand that Jesus is the Word.

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” 

John 1:1-4 (ESV)

 

“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

Gen 1:3 (ESV)

 

Jesus is the Word and it was the Word that created heaven ad earth. Yes, the Word of God, which is the Bible, is powerful. It is able to open our eyes, ears and hearts. And this is why you will often hear people refer to the Bible as living, and it truly is. Therefore, God is able to use His Word in amazing ways, along with the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So, please read your Bible consistently and one day you will see exactly what I am talking about. It is so very exciting. All we need to have an openness to see, hear, and listen.

 

Truth or Consequences

 

I have always found it interesting, in a sad way, how the religious leaders in the time of Jesus were not at all concerned with what the truth was. Because their concern was on what consequences their words or actions would bring.

 

Let’s look at Mark for a perfect example or not seeking truth. Jesus has just come into Jerusalem, and the religious leaders as Him

 

Religious Leaders

 

By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Answer me.
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him?
But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.” 

Mark 11:28-33

 

 

Not Seeking Truth

 

These so-called leaders debated over the answer, without ever seeking truth. They were more concerned with what would happen, if the said either option. Have you ever gone into a situation where you were more considered about how your words would be perceived? Sadly, I know that I have.

 

Another point I noticed, is that if they had answered honestly, then they would have also answered their question.

 

Time Spend with God is Never Wasted

 

Know that using time, energy, and any other resource in seeking truth, is never wasted. God honors what we give to Him. Look at what Jesus said about Mary as she sat at His feet listening to His teaching

 

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42

 

Praise be to God

 

Praise the Lord, for those of us who are seeking truth, who ‘taste and see’ and believe. The Word of God has power, not only to save us from condemnation, it also gives us everlasting life.

 

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

John 5:24

 

Seeking Truth

 

Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12) “light” is a symbol for truth. I guess we could say Jesus is the truth in the world. Seeking truth is actually seeking Jesus.

 

This world and this life are not permanent they are temporal. How do we live out a temporal life in a temporal world and still keep our eyes on eternity. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the way the truth and the life.

 

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

John 14:6

 

Have I made a strong enough case for you to read your Bible, in seeking truth? Just in case I haven’t, here is another great post over at Wield the Word 20 Exciting Reasons to Read the Bible

 

Be Blessed

 

I am going to leave you with one more thought that I love. It is what Peter says about who we are as Christians.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

1 Perter 2:9-10

Link Ups I Like

I occasionally join the following link up parties! You should join me, I would love to see you at one or two!

Monday –
Bloggers for the Kingdom @ #KingdomBloggers Anita Ojeda @ Inspire me Monday
Random-osity @ The Good The Random The Fun Mary-andering Creatively @ #LMM LinkUP

Tuesday –
Trekking Thru @ Trekking Thru the Week Mary Geisen @#TellHisStory
Insta Encouragement @ Weakly Christian link-up Anchored Abode @ AnchoredtruthTuesday Kelly Balarie @ Purposeful Faith

Wednesday-
Worth Beyond Rubies @ Weekly Wednesday
Welcome Heart @ Let’s Have Coffee Soaring with Him @ #Recharge Wednesdays

Thursday – Debbie Kitterman @ #Tune in Thursday Be Thee Inspired @ #destinationinspiration Lori Schumaker @ #momentsofhope Unshakable Joy @ I Heart Verse Link Party

Friday – Counting My Blessings @ Faith N Friends
Embracing the Unexpected @ #graceandtruthlinkup Crystal Twaddell @ #FreashMarketFriday