“I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener, He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they well produce even more.” (John 15:1-2 NLT)
Knowing WHAT is true begins to unfold when we meet the One who is the embodiment of all Truth. Someone can tell us: “Live a good life as best you can, treat others with kindness and respect, pay your taxes and be a good citizen and you will have lived a good life and will go to heaven.” Is that true? Not necessarily! Why? Because any means of getting to heaven short of submitting our lives and allegiance to Jesus and finding forgiveness and newness of life in Him is a shortcut that will lead to hell, not heaven.
Will those things likely follow if we’re walking in obedience to the Lord Jesus? Yes, of course, but to put our trust in our own efforts, regardless of how good we may look to others, is inadequate and false. Self-righteousness is no righteousness at all when it comes to qualifying us to get into heaven.
Knowing Jesus is the first step in knowing what is true. All truth flows from Him because He is the root of all Truth. There is nothing true that is true except it is derived from Him. But knowing Truth in the Person of Jesus is the first step. The closer we get to Jesus and the more we aspire to be like Him, the more His truth will become evident in and through our lives.
But knowing the truth must lead to embracing what is true. What does that mean? Knowledge without application is futile and valueless. Unless and until what we know changes who we are we’re simply shells without real life or true meaning. It’s like trying to live for Christ without knowing Christ. We may be able to talk the talk, but we’ll never know how to actually walk the walk.
The natural progression of knowing and embracing the truth is the lifelong journey involved in learning to apply the truth – actually living it out in our day to day lives. It causes me to think of the famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin. On June 30, 1859, he had a large rope stretched across Niagara Falls which, of course, drew a very large crowd.
Applauding his performance as he crossed over several times, at one point he pushed a wheelbarrow across, back and forth. Afterword he asked the crowd: “How many of you believe I can push a human being across in this wheelbarrow?” The crowd roared with affirmation until he asked: “Who would like to go first?” Then there was silence.
We’re all about applause and affirmation until it’s our turn to get into the proverbial “wheelbarrow,” then we’re hiding behind others and remaining very silent. We do that at church. The Pastor preaches a stirring message, and we clap and cheer and raise our hands, until they ask: “Who is willing to be involved in this ministry?” “Who will give a generous offering to support this vital endeavor?” “Who would like to sign up for the next Mission’s trip?”
We’re all about watching someone else do what needs to be done, as long as it doesn’t cost us anything in time or money. We like to read books about great Missionaries, Evangelists, and people who are being bold for God. It thrills our hearts and encourages us, but it leaves us empty and wanting until we put our “YES” on the table and say to the Lord: “Whatever You want, Lord, whatever it costs me…YES!”
That’s what living the Truth looks like!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 