Know the Truth, But…
1 John 4:7,8 Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
The truth, as things turn out, can be a dangerous thing when used in the wrong way – much as a sharp knife can be deadly if wielded in anger. Sure, the Good News of Jesus is the truth. The question is, how do you use it?
Well known Canadian psychology professor, Jordan Peterson, is without doubt a polarising character. But whatever you think of him, he makes a good point when he says that ideologies are substitutes for true knowledge, and ideologues are always dangerous when they come to power, because a simpleminded I-know-it-all approach is no match for the complexity of existence.
And the danger for anyone who believes in Jesus, who knows the truth of the Gospel of Christ deep down in their hearts, is that we turn the love-transaction of faith in Him into an ideology. The danger is that we become idealogues who beat people over the head with the truth.
You and I have both seen it drive people away from Jesus in droves. Life’s complicated, life’s messy, people are struggling with addictions and alienations, with circumstances so dire sometimes that they defy description. So it’s time, I think, for … how shall I say it … a ‘word from our Sponsor’:
1 John 4:7,8 Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
When I was in the most dire circumstances of my life, it wasn’t Christians beating me over the head with the truth that drew me to Jesus – it was their love.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond