DEVOTIONAL STORIES
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"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). See that verse? John 8:32. How many times have you heard it or maybe even quoted it? I have, plenty of times, but—confession—I still had to go look in the concordance of my Bible to find where it was. Once upon a time I was bad about that: quoting a scripture and when it gets to the part where I should say the book, chapter, and verse, I can sometimes only say, "Well, it's in there somewhere." When I went to my concordance to find that particular verse, I went to the word "Truth" first. I had no idea how many times the word "truth" is in the Bible! My Bible's concordance isn't even exhaustive, and the references still filled almost an entire page! Do you think it might matter to God that we know the truth? With a page full of "Truth" references, do you think it might matter to Him that we don't settle for anything less than what He would sign His name to? I appreciate the pastor who will stand behind his open Bible and sermon notes and challenge his listeners to go looking for themselves, taking nothing for granted and letting the Bible speak for itself to clarify and challenge. God issues the same admonition all the time, knowing exactly what the verse in John tells us, that the truth will indeed give us freedom. Jesus tells His listeners to never, ever let go of the truth.  If you back up one verse to John 8:31, Jesus has just said this: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." Some would think that means that we'll prove we're His followers if we keep all the rules, but that's not what it means. To "hold" is from the Greek menō and it just means to persevere in holding fast to something, to cleave. Jesus was simply telling His listeners to never, ever let go of the truth, His Truth. And since He identified Himself as "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), it is safe to say that we will never go wrong by holding on to Him. I can't think of a safer place to be. ©2017 Wendi Miller Find Source Information KEEP READINGComments are closed.
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