Monday, May 4, 2015

Drunks, Children, Leggings and Jesus



Somehow I do believe there is some truth in this picture.
If you've ever sat at a bar and listened to the person who sits alone and has had a few, they are bound to tell you their life story, whether you know them or not. They will share even the most embarrassing things with you, usually in order to gain your sympathy. Secrets also get revealed when a bunch of friends have partied a little bit too much and someone decides to be cute and tell on someone, thinking that it is going to be funny. Most of the time it only hurts someone and usually backfires on the person who told it.

Children, on the other hand, do not need any substances to blurt out their feelings, especially the very young. Many of them are just learning social manners and they may not have a grasp on what to say and when to say it. They are exposed to all sorts of things that they hear their parents and others who are around them talking about, and in order to try to fit into a conversation and feel "grown up" like the others, they will speak their minds on what they observe or have heard. We've all cringed when a child jumps in the middle of a conversation and blurts out something that the parent didn't want repeated. Kids just want to fit in and a lot of what they say comes from what they hear.

Leggings. Well, there isn't much that I can say that everyone hasn't seen at some point in time. All you have to do is view a few of those "People of Walmart" slideshows to realize that while people may be trying to look cute, sexy, hip, or whatever, they generally fall far, far short of their goal.

But there is one who will always tell the truth because they are the truth.

John 14:1-11
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Too many times we are searching for "the truth" when it is right there staring us in the face. We don't know who to trust, unless you go by the new adage, "If it's on the internet, it must be true." Believe me, don't fall for that or it will be your downfall, no matter what the subject is.
Last week we met this wonderful couple at the movie theater while standing in line to get into a screening, and we hit it off. The husband and I are like two peas in a pod and I can tell, we're going to get into some trouble with our wives at some point, as we like to joke and cut up a lot. So they invited us to a bible study that they have at their house. Turns out they are studying the bible prophecies, traditions of the Jewish people and how they apply to our lives, along with the fulfillment of the prophecies. It is a time of sharing and a lot of deep thinking as we work our way through the bible. The Torah, or the first 5 books of the bible is where the emphasis is, along with how it is repeated all through the bible, including the New Testament, and learning our Jewish heritage allows us to understand the words of God and what Jesus was trying to tell us while he walked this earth.
In case you're wondering, no, I'm not Jewish by birth. But I am a child of God, and since Jesus was a Jew, that would have to make me a Jew also. (Besides, all are in the lineage of Adam and Eve, so we're all kin somewhere down the line).
For anyone who knew the Torah in the New Testament days, whether they lived it or not, Jesus' true identity was not a secret or mystery to them. His words and actions fulfilled all that was told that would come about eventually. One great example being the woman at the well. Though her lifestyle did not show it, she still knew the Torah and the prophecies of the Messiah. So when she was in his presence, her teaching from her heritage allowed her to realize that Jesus was the Messiah. The words of the bible and Jesus still give us a lot to lessons and examples to live by. We don't have to go searching the internet for what is right. We have the truth before us, and it isn't told by man's words, but by God's words as recorded by man.
So when you're searching for the truth, learn the truth from the one who created everything, even "truth." That way you won't need to hear it from the drunk at the bar, see it in the revealing clothes that someone wears, or hear it from the mouths of babes who mumble through the duck tape. You can get it from the original source, and know that it can be trusted!

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