June 2, 2011 In the Truth

In the Truth
Read Psalms 140 – 146

Ps 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.
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Ps 142:7 Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

I JUST got off the phone with a friend. We were talking about speaking the truth of the gospel to people. The discussion centered around how we teach and preach to the newcomer in the church. Do we “go easy” on them, or do we tell the complete truth—believe in Jesus or spend eternity in Hell.
We voted for the latter, and there are two reasons. First, it’s the Truth. How else will people know the truth unless they hear it? And second, it is the greatest act of love you can ever do for anyone.
I know, if you said to someone, “You must believe in Jesus to go to Heaven. If you don’t you’ll go to Hell.” Many people would call you judgmental, narrow-minded, or dumb. Maybe they would just look at you and then run away. But so what? The truth is all that matters. And when you tell God’s Truth, you are a righteous person.
The psalmist expresses a great joy in hearing God’s truth. Even if it hurts (And it often does). He celebrates when a righteous person comes to him and corrects him. He rejoices in the Truth entering into his mind. Why?
Because the truth corrects him from the wrong way, the psalmist will walk more closely with God. He knows that to be with God, he needs to know the Truth. He also knows the truth will put him in the company of other righteous people who will help him continue to find the Truth. This is a picture of a great church: People rejoice in the Truth. People come to fellowship in the Truth. People worship God in the Truth.


Pause and Consider: how you enjoy being with someone you can always trust.