Tag Archives: truth

You Don’t Have To Lie

13 Saturday Jun 2015

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A good friend passed away a few weeks ago. Always sad to see someone go, but sweet knowing they are In heaven, free from pain and suffering.

I learned a powerful lesson from this man one day. We were working late; both of us were exhausted and ready to go home. My friend stepped out of the office for a moment and the phone rang. I answered and the person on the line asked for my friend. I lied and said he had just gone home, thinking I was doing my friend a favor by sparing him one more phone call.

When my friend stepped back in, he asked who had called.

“It was so and so, but I told him you had already left for the day,” I answered.

I’ll never forget his response, “Why did you tell him that? You don’t have to lie for me.” Then he proceeded to call the person back.

It was a very formidable rebuke.

Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Two out of seven are about lying. I would say God is opposed to it.

Lesson learned ……… you don’t have to lie.

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

That’s How Rumors Start!

09 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Devotional, Life, Marriage, People, Raising The Mug

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secret

photo courtesy of forbes.com

When my wife and I first got married, she had nearly black hair. As she aged, some grey began to appear so she would dye her hair from time to time. Perfectly normal for women in the US. At some point, her hair stylist convinced her to go blond, which, by the way, I was highly opposed to. That’s a story for another day ……..

Anyway, shortly after the change in hair color, Jane and I were sitting in a restaurant having lunch. A friend came over to greet us. He confessed that when he first saw us, he thought I was having lunch with another woman because he didn’t recognize my wife! Ha, ha! That’s how rumors get started!

secrets-to-staying-trimI thought to myself afterwards, “What if he had just sat there and made no approach. He would have left the restaurant thinking something entirely different from the truth.”

What you don’t know can hurt you. Information or misinformation can cause potentially irreparable damage to a person’s reputation. Be careful about jumping to conclusions. Always verify the facts before assuming something is true. Gossiping and spreading rumors is never a healthy activity. The “Golden Rule” is always appropriate – Do to others what you would want them to do to you.

Proverbs 11:9 (NIV)

9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
    but through knowledge the righteous escape.

Have a happy and blessed day! Keep a hot mug in your mouth and you won’t have time for gossip!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Did You Hear That?

28 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Animals, Christianity, Devotional, Life, People, Raising The Mug

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Fennec Fox

baby fennec fox

“Oh, that sound is driving me crazy!” my wife said as we were sitting on the couch in the living room.

“What sound, dear?” I replied.

“You don’t hear that?” she asked.

“No, dear I don’t hear anything.”

“You can’t hear that obnoxious squeaky sound?” she asked incredulously.

“NO DEAR, I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING!”

At that point my daughter standing in the kitchen chimed in, “It’s the ceiling fan upstairs in my bedroom!”

I went upstairs and upon entering the room, I could now hear what was actually the pull chain for the light, banging against the glass globe below the fan while the blades were spinning around. I untwisted the chain where it could hang free and the sound went away.

Sometimes having poor hearing can be a blessing ……………. the squeaky sound wasn’t bothering me at all …………

Mark 4:23-24

23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.

These are Jesus’ words and should be given careful consideration. The first is a rhetorical statement; obviously everyone has ears. You would assume anyone with ears has the ability to hear. Jesus is referring to the ability to perceive and understand the parables he used in teaching. Read all of Mark 4.

There are actually two ways of hearing: hearing with the ears and hearing with the heart. Hearing with the ears is easy. Something disturbs the air creating a sound wave; the sound wave enters the ear and causes the eardrum to vibrate which passes the information along to the inner ear then the brain. Hearing with the heart is more difficult; this goes beyond the normal physical ability and requires something else ………. something spiritual.

I well remember the first time that reading scripture began to make sense. I had been a Christian for a few years and was now entering into some serious Bible study. Before, the Bible just seemed like a musty old book full of fairy tales. But now, reading it was like drinking clear fresh water for the first time; I couldn’t get enough.

What was different? The Holy Spirit. Now that the Spirit was living in me, my eyes and ears were suddenly opened so that I began to understand what was said and written.

Mark 4:10-12

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”

Jesus was not being exclusive, insinuating that you can’t join his club unless you know the secret password. He was simply stating a fact: unless you possess the Holy Spirit, not much of what he said would make any sense.

It’s interesting to note that in verse 24 he emphasized that it’s not so much how you hear but what you hear. Consider carefully what you hear ……..

I found the picture above compelling …… a fennec fox pup. Fennec foxes live in the deserts of northern Africa. Being mostly nocturnal, the fennec fox uses its enormous ears rather than its eyes to hunt for food. It can hear even the slightest movement in the sand as it hunts for insects, lizards, or other small prey. Do you know how quiet sand is? That’s a very keen sense of hearing. But it also uses its unique hearing ability as a means of protection; it can easily perceive the difference in sound between the movement of a bug and the movement of a jackal or hyena.

What you can’t hear might kill you ……….

There was no risk of life due to my inability to hear with my ears the squeaky sounds in the ceiling fan that were disturbing my wife. But my inability to hear with my heart the words that Jesus spoke ……….. that is the difference between eternal life and eternal death.

Did you hear that? That was the voice of Jesus calling ………

Mugs up!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

When Telling The Truth Backfires!

22 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Children, Christianity, Devotional, Life, People, Raising The Mug

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saying the wrong thingThanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house ……. the whole extended family and my little brood of hellions were all sitting around the table munching our meal quietly. Suddenly in the silence between bites, my 5-year-old son blurted out, “You know what my daddy does sometimes? He sticks his hand up my mama’s dress.”

Utensils fell among snickers, gasps, and coughing ………

While I waited for all the blood that had rushed to my face to retreat to its proper place in my body, I choked down a mouthful of turkey and tried to regain my composure. I thought, “Why did he say that? And why now?”

All I could do is remind myself,  “Someday the purpose for this embarrassing moment will be made crystal clear ……….. someday ……..someday.”

Maybe that day is today.

Here’s the interesting part of this story – what my son said was true. However, the information was completely misunderstood because no one in the room, other than my immediate family, knew where that vision in his head originated. Here’s what really happened:

It was a typical Saturday morning in the Claxton family living room. The kids were running around playing or watching TV. Jane, my wife, was standing on a chair, changing a light bulb in the ceiling fan and yes ……….. she was wearing a dress, a long calf-length dress. I, being the prankster that I am, sneaked up behind her, slipped my hand up the hem of her dress and tickled her legs. She squealed and we all laughed – end of story …….. until that infamous Thanksgiving dinner. Obviously the prank stuck firmly in my young son’s mind.

Word of warning – don’t do or say anything in front of a child that you don’t want made public!

Just because something is true doesn’t mean that it bears repeating. My son didn’t mean to embarrass his parents nor did he think the comment was out of place. He was just trying to lighten the mood with a funny story. He lacked the wisdom and restraint to know that his statement would be misconstrued.

The point – telling the truth, even if done in earnestness, can backfire and splatter turkey and dressing all over your face if not presented in the proper context.

Romans 16:17-19 (ESV)

17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.

Telling the truth without proper context is not actually the truth….. even the truth can be abused and manipulated.

The phrase interpreted smooth talk comes from chréstologia, two Greek words combined –

  • xrēstós – describes what God defines is kind and eternally useful!
  • légō – to come to a conclusion

In layman’s terms, Paul was writing about a person who has taken something that under normal circumstances is true, kind, eternally good, and useful and manipulated it for his own benefit. He has presented it out of context or left out important facts causing you to come to the wrong conclusion. That is a misrepresentation of the truth. If caught, such a person might respond, “Hey, I was telling the truth!” Yeah, but didn’t tell the whole truth, just your version of it. That’s deceitful! The apostle warns us to watch out for these kinds of people. Unfortunately, the warning wouldn’t be necessary if the problem didn’t exist.

These are some of the last words included in Paul’s letter to the Romans. The appeal is to use good judgment in how you listen, being careful not to believe everything you hear ………. sometimes vital facts are left unspoken.

I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.

 Excellent advice from Paul. Excellent advice ……..

Have a mug full of something hot and tasty and let’s get our day off to a good start!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Maximum Impact! Part 2

11 Monday May 2015

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wrecking ballHigh impact lives not only instigate change, they tear down walls of resistance.

Early in his ministry, when Jesus healed a young man who was paralyzed, he said to him, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” The people who overheard were horrified! “Who do you think you are? Only God can forgive sins!”

The Jews believed that the only person with the authority to forgive sins was God himself. Jesus completely destroyed their way of thinking. Not only did he teach with authority, he exercised it.

Later, the Pharisees questioned him about who had given him this authority.

24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” Matthew 21:23-27

They couldn’t answer the question, so neither would Jesus answer theirs.

Jesus consistently destroyed the arguments of his opposition.

Jesus gave this authority to the apostles and taught them to use it as they ministered to the people in the surrounding villages and proclaimed the good news of the gospel throughout the world. Matthew 10:1, Mark 6:7, Luke 9:1, Luke 10:19, 2 Corinthians 10:8

Paul later wrote these words to his friend Titus –

Titus 2:15 (ESV)

15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

It is true – to have a lasting impact on the world, our lives must be more than words. But the right words are powerful tools. Jesus did not give us a spirit of timidity, but one of power. We should not feel ashamed to speak words that tear down walls of injustice or destroy pretenses of superiority.

Paul’s instructions were to declare, exhort, and rebuke. All three must be done verbally.

  • To declare – comes from the Greek word laleó which means to chatter, to speak about, to talk about at home, at work, wherever you are.
  • To exhort – comes from the Greek word parakaléō which means to summon or to entreat – literally to call someone so that they will be close enough to have a one on one conversation. It means to strongly encourage someone.
  • To rebuke – comes from the Greek word elégxō – to reprove or to expose the truth, as in to give convincing and compelling evidence in a court of law. Usually we think of this word as a form of discipline, but that is not the original intention. It has more to do with refuting false information.

Titus was not a biblical giant – he was not Jesus. He was just a guy in the church. Yet Paul told him to speak and lead with authority and to not let anyone disregard what he said.

Most of us are not preachers in the sense that we have been called by God for that specific task. But we all have the ability to speak the truth, to encourage friends, to stand up for what is right. When we consistently live this way, we will impact our world.

Here we go again; it’s a new week. Time to grab a full mug and set out to change the world!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Just In Case You Didn’t Notice

27 Monday Apr 2015

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Train Crossing

photo courtesy of Don Kalkman flickr.com

Train Crossings. Not all, but most are clearly marked with a series of warnings that are designed to make you cautious and consider the possibility of a train crossing the road. The warnings start with the X symbol stating “Railroad Crossings.” But if you didn’t notice that, they have bright red flashing lights with dinging bells. But if you didn’t notice that, they have cross bars with more flashing red lights that come down and block the passage across the roadway. And if you didn’t notice that, the train conductor has a really loud, obnoxious horn that he wails on to let you know a large metal machine weighing more than 3000 tons that has no hope of stopping in time is about to cross your path.

You would think that with all of those warnings that it would be impossible for a car to get hit by a train. Unfortunately it happens all the time. It nearly happened to me once. In my case there were no crossbars at the intersection, but all of the other warnings were there. I had the music in the cab turned up way too high, lost in thought, not paying attention. As I crossed the tracks I heard a strange blaring sound, a train whistle. I turned my head to look down the tracks to see the train only a few yards away coming straight towards me. I pressed the gas and managed to escape disaster.

Proverbs 15:31 (NIV)

31 Whoever heeds life-giving correction
    will be at home among the wise.

To receive correction is to receive a warning. Some translations use the word reproof or rebuke. The point is the same: someone gives advice about how to live, usually as the result of a foolish or bad decision made by the person receiving the rebuke. The correction is intended to bring about a change or a correction in thinking that will either enhance or prolong the life of the one who receives it. A wise person will listen ……..

There have been many older, wiser people throughout my life who have given me advice about how to live and make good decisions. I will confess that in my youth I didn’t listen nearly well enough. At times I felt like they were interfering in my affairs. But as I have aged, I have come to realize that there is a wealth of knowledge and experience outside of my own head. Their warnings were intended to keep me from harming myself or others around me.

I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences; someone with a stern face pointing a finger at you with a slightly raised voice ……. trying to get your attention.

Hebrews 12:11(NIV)

11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Just in case you didn’t notice, the people that care and love you the most are the ones who go out of their way to give you warnings and corrections.

My mug is full and ready for a new day. Watch out for blinking railroad crossings!!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

When Trouble Comes To Town

06 Friday Mar 2015

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“We got trouble, right here in River City.”

Set in July of 1912, a traveling salesman, “Professor” Harold Hill (Robert Preston), arrives in the fictional location of River City, Iowa, intrigued by the challenge of swindling the famously stubborn natives of Iowa (“Iowa Stubborn“). Masquerading as a traveling band instructor, Professor Hill plans to con the citizens of River City into paying him to create a boys’ marching band, including instruments, uniforms, and music instruction. Once he has collected the money and the instruments and uniforms have arrived, he will hop the next train out of town, leaving them without their money or a band. Wikipedia.org

Harold Hill was a convincing salesman; he had a solution for the “trouble” that was brewing in River City.

I have observed two things:

  • One – The average person is gullible and easy to deceive. He only thinks in terms of his immediate comfort and cannot focus on anything beyond that. Therefore when he is not happy, he looks for a quick solution, one that will remove the discomfort with little concern for the long-term repercussions.
  • Two – For any pain, the world has a solution. The problem is, it’s the world’s solution, not God’s, and ninety-nine percent of the time it involves some sort of sin.

It’s sad to admit, but even in the church there are people who will take advantage of the weak. The apostle Paul warned of this in his second letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 11:12-15 (NIV)

12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Satan is a crafty salesman, he conceals his true identity to prey on the gullible. Specifically in the church, how can you tell if the person who is speaking is telling the truth?

The apostle John had this to say:

1 John 4:1-6 (NIV)

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

I have a nice warm mug and I’m holding it high! I’m sure you will hear many convincing tales today. My prayer for you is that you will not be fooled by the ones that are lies!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Sorry Mr. Twain, I Disagree.

25 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Devotional, Life, Raising The Mug

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mark-twain-quotes-bible

courtesy of beforeitsnews.com – Mark Twain quotes

Disturbing ………. that’s what I found this picture to be. I like Mark Twain’s stories and many of his other quotes ……….. but not this one.

Samuel Clemens loved the paddlewheel steamboat and he loved the river. As a matter of fact, it was during his years as a riverboat pilot that he chose his pen name, “Mark Twain.” It was a phrase called out by the leadsman, a person with a rope with a lead weight at the end, who checked to make sure the water was deep enough to travel by dropping it into the water to measure the depth. The phrase literally means “mark two,” the second mark on the measuring line that indicated that the water was 2 fathoms (12 feet) deep and safe to navigate. boatsafe.com

Riverboat

Although Mark Twain was a regular attender of a Presbyterian church, he did not accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God. “Twain stated that he believed in an almighty God, but not in any messages, revelations, holy scriptures such as the Bible, Providence, or retribution in the afterlife.” (Wikipedia – Mark Twain) To him, the Bible was nothing more than a book full of interesting stories with a few good morals thrown in.

Is this true? Is the Bible nothing more than a compelling lie? A book of noble poetry and clever fables? Stories with a few good morals?

If the Bible is the Word of God, as we profess, then there must be is a logical reason for God to have inspired its writing. According to Paul in Romans 10, it is the means by which God brings about salvation for all lost souls.

Romans 10:8-11, 17 (NIV)

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Granted, it is conceivable that God could have developed an alternative plan for bringing his message to the world. The stories and truths could have been passed down verbally. But who would have known if their sources were reliable? How could you verify their authenticity?

God chose instead to have his words recorded in the scriptures. They are the written version of his powerful, life-changing spoken words. It was by speaking with his mouth that God created the universe. It was by speaking that Jesus calmed the storm; by speaking he called Lazarus from the dead. Those same spoken words now live through the mouths of preachers and believers all over the world who learned the message by studying what was recorded in the pages of the Bible.

Faith combined with the message of God’s Word is the recipe for salvation. Outside of faith, they are nothing more than letters printed on a page …… poetry, clever fables.

Compelling lies? Sorry Mr. Twain, I think not. The Word of God? Yes, that’s what I believe.

My mug is up. Here’s to a promising day of speaking and believing what I know is true because of the faith in me that confirms that scripture really is God’s Word.

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Flushing Out The Truth

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Life, Raising The Mug

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calvin-and-hobbes-its-true-hobbes-ignorance-is-bliss1

Ignorance does not promote godliness ……… in direct opposition to what you may have been told ……..

I have a friend who enjoys a certain brand of humor that frequently meanders towards the bathroom. Someone mentions the word “poo” which excites a little giggle, then the giggles work their way up to laughter ……….. if you stay in there long enough, it becomes an all out hootenanny!

I hope this example is not too far off the crude chart, but there are certain things that should not be flushed down a toilet. Such as, and the list is not all-inclusive: plastic spacemen, bouncy balls, toothbrushes, small baby dolls, Christmas bows, plastic spoons, and  …………….. baby wipes.

“WHAT?!” you say, “You’re not supposed to flush baby wipes?”  That would be an affirmative.

Because of multiple babies living with us in recent years, there has been an abundance of dirty bottoms which required wiping. Of course, the convenient thing to do is simply flush the used wipes. Hmmmmm……. wouldn’t you?

After some time, we noticed a foul smell coming from the pipes and some murky water backing up in the basement tub. So we contracted with a plumbing company to clean out our septic tank. What they uncovered was a tank full of baby wipes clogging the system and preventing the water from draining properly. There was a distinct odor of annoyance in the contractor’s voice when he informed me of his discovery………

I just put on my “ignorant” persona and used the excuse, “Well……uuhhhhh, meester plummer, howz wuz I ‘posed to know chew cain’t flursh ’em?”

I didn’t know baby wipes aren’t biodegradable, did you? And you might respond, “Well mister 55-year-old-adult-with-an-education, did you try reading the label on the package of wipes where it clearly says, “DO NOT FLUSH!”

Okay, leaving the bathroom humor aside ……..

2 Peter 3:14-16 NIV

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

I quote the entire section for context, but I’m focusing primarily on the last sentence.

Being ignorant of the truth can lead to disastrous results, case in point, my story above. Peter makes the comment that Paul’s letters contain some things that are difficult to understand that ignorant and unstable people distort and that their misunderstanding leads to destruction.  I don’t think Peter meant to insult anyone when he made this remark, he was just stating a fact. The Bible warns that not everyone should be a teacher and that those who are will be punished most severely if they mislead others.

MLK ignorance

I have had the unnerving experience of sitting in a congregation, listening to some suspect teaching by very well-meaning people. I remember leaving afterwards thinking, “That guy was completely off the mark, his interpretation was wrong.” It’s one of the things that scares me the most about being in a position of leadership, the application of scripture and the responsibility assigned to teachers. I don’t want to be the cause of anyone stumbling in their faith; I could do without the millstone tied around my neck. Matthew 18:6

Peter’s warning is well taken ……… it is easy to distort scripture, even when you do know the truth. If you are ignorant of the truth, it’s even more frightening. All you have to do is look at the list of cults in the world to see how simple it is to sway people’s minds.

So as an encouragement today, make a new resolution to study the scriptures more diligently so that you know the truth and will not be mislead because of ignorance.
2 Timothy 2:15, Ezra 7:10, Ecclesiastes 1:13, Hosea 4:6

My mug is raised – Here’s to the knowledge of truth that God rules my heart AND my mind!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Grace And Truth, A Perfect Duet

08 Saturday Nov 2014

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truth

Truth is a hammer with one purpose – to drive home a point. It sees things one way, black and white, and gray is only for unsophisticated minds. There is only one direction – straight ahead – no turning to the right or left. It does not stray from the facts; it only takes reality into account.

grace3

Grace is a pair of outstretched arms willing to offer forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it. It will overlook the flaw in a garment because it knows the value of staying warm. While it recognizes that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, it sees the beauty in a curve.

John 1:17 – 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Moses gave us the law; is the written truth, a system of rules that can be read, studied, and interpreted. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free,” and that is accurate; truth has the power to break down walls of injustice. But truth should also be tempered with grace.

“Tempering is a heat treatment technique applied to ferrous alloys, such as steel or cast iron, to achieve greater toughness by decreasing the hardness of the alloy. The reduction in hardness is usually accompanied by an increase in ductility, or malleability, thereby decreasing the brittleness of the metal.” (Wikipedia – tempering)

John tells us that Jesus came with grace AND truth, not one or the other, but both. He merged the characteristics together in perfect accord. He showed us that although a woman caught in the act of adultery may deserve to be stoned, her life had value beyond her sin. He illustrated that uneducated fishermen could be trained to be leaders just as well as college graduates. He went to lunch with tax collectors and prostitutes who were considered outcasts of society. He healed many of contagious diseases with no fear of being touched.

Treble-clef-hi

When used properly together, grace and truth become a duet, two voices singing two different parts but in concert with each other. While a musically inclined individual could read the music, the rest of us need something else. To fully grasp the beauty of the song, it must be performed, it must be demonstrated. Jesus exhibited both of these qualities equally to help us appreciate how the two elements should work in tandem.

In his book, The Grace and Truth Paradox – Responding With Christlike Balance, Randy Alcorn writes –

“Grace and truth are like the two strands of DNA’s double helix, creating a perfect symmetry of Christian character.”

In our effort to present the image of Christ, we need to employ these characteristics with equal emphasis.

The mug is raised today in thanks to the gospel writers. Here’s to learning how to model both grace and truth, equally balanced!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com