In the New Testament, ἀλήθεια (alétheia) is used to denote truth in a variety of contexts, including the truth of God, the truth of the Gospel, and the truth as a moral and ethical standard. It signifies not only factual correctness but also sincerity, integrity, and faithfulness. Alétheia is often contrasted with falsehood and deception, emphasizing the divine nature of truth as revealed in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. (Bible > Strong’s > Greek > 225, Bible Hub)
Author: daleadamson
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In the New Testament, ἀλήθεια (alétheia) is used to denote truth in a variety of contexts, including the truth of God, the truth of the Gospel, and the truth as a moral and ethical standard. It signifies not only factual correctness but also sincerity, integrity, and faithfulness. Alétheia is often contrasted with falsehood and deception, emphasizing the divine nature of truth as revealed in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. (Bible > Strong’s > Greek > 225, Bible Hub)
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How Much Longer
But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” Romans 10:21
I can’t help but wonder how much longer will the Lord hold out his hand to a “disobedient and contrary” nation like America. A nation whose roots were founded on the very principles that caused our forefathers to come to America in order to worship the one true God and his son Jesus, and not suffer under the tyranny of a government whose sole purpose was to deny such an existence.
America once was a shinning light on a hill for the world, but now seems to be a lamp under a bed.* And soon the light will go out unless there is revival in the land. We must return unto the Lord.
How much longer?
* Luke 8:16 – “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
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Rainy Days
A lot of people have been complaining about all the rain we’ve had lately. And we have had a lot. But when I think of all the good that will eventually come from the rain, it makes it all worth while.
The same is true for the “rainy” days in our personal lives. As we persevere through the storms of life that we face on a daily basis, we are strengthened and nourished much like the rain does for the flowers that we so enjoy when they are in full bloom. When it rains, the drops of water beat down on the flowers, grass and trees eventually soaking into the soil which then quenches the roots of its thirst.
The storms we face may beat down on us and may seem to last but they only serve us and nourish our souls so that we may grow and flourish and bloom into strong weathered trees that can offer shade and some comfort for others going through a storm.
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Reflections
William Makepeace Thackeray once said, “The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind companion….”
A mirror can give us a reflection of our current state of mind. If we are frowning, we can see that reflection in the mirrors all around us; if we are happy and smiling, we can see that reflection in others. Mirrors help us to see what we are focusing on in our daily living.
In James chapter 1, we find that we are to be doers of the word and not hearers only. James uses the mirror illustration to say it’s “like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like” (vs 23,24).
What are we reflecting as we look into the mirrors around us? Are we reflecting our own desires or the love of God. If we aren’t reflecting God’s love by doing what the bible teaches, then we are reflecting our natural face – the flesh. If we want a lasting reflection in the mirror, then we must love others the way Jesus does. We must be doers of the word.
In earnest prayer and humility, we must desire to glorify God by reflecting Jesus to all those around us. Our desire should be that others would see the reflection of Christ in us.
James 1:22-27
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
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As a diabetic, I must spend an enormous amount of time trying to maintain my blood glucose levels to the acceptable numbers set by the doctor(s). Twice a day, I test my blood, inject insulin and take an oral medication. I must eat the “right” foods and exercise. All this to be healthy. Diabetes is a horrible disease that will kill you slowly from the inside out. It can destroy all your internal organs, cause nerve damage which leads to loss of feeling in your extremities and can cause heart attacks and strokes.
There is a distinct correlation between having diabetes (or any other disease) and sin. Diabetes is a disease of the flesh. Sin, on the other hand, not only destroys the body but also the soul.
You cannot control sin without the work of the “great physician” Jesus Christ. We must first accept the fact that we are sinners, that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and by faith accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We must then live by the spirit and not in the flesh. We must daily go through the delightful protocol of our faith.
First, we must spend time in God’s word – the Bible which like the blood test for diabetes, shows the Holiness of God and the lack of holiness in our own life. The bible is also the “insulin” for the soul – “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17.) When you “inject” God’s word into your life it will penetrate down to the bone and expose any and all sin (Hebrews 4:12). Then, we can confess that sin, be forgiven and be cleansed from our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Second, we must spend time in prayer. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. There is soul satisfying joy in communing with God in prayer.
Third, we must share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. The rise of diabetes in our culture today has led to a great effort in awareness and education. Many people don’t realize they have diabetes which is why they call it the “silent killer” and it’s the same with sin. Sharing the gospel will expose this eternally deadly disease of sin and brings hope for every man, woman and child regardless of race.
I am not saying that sin and diabetes (or any other disease) are equal. Sin destroys the soul for eternity – diabetes only destroys your health and makes life difficult. Sin is the ultimate disease in our lives. Sin must be dealt with through the life changing grace of Jesus and the price he paid on the cross. And if you ignore the warning signs – you will die forever.
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Job-Japan
Trying to understand the sovereignty of God is very difficult, especially in light of the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami that hit Japan. The death toll continues to rise daily and the sheer number of people who are homeless and hungry is mind-boggling. So many questions.
It’s hard to imagine losing so many friends and family along with all your possessions. By the grace of God I have not had to endure such heart ache. Though I have had many trials and tribulations in my life time, they are minuscule in comparison to the suffering in Japan.
I am sure that people are asking the question, “where is God in all this?” A question that entered another person’s mind in the bible who suffered the loss of his family and all his possessions – Job.
We can read the historical event of Job in the bible. Job lost all his wealth; his family and all his servants in one day. The agony he must have felt surely is the same for the survivors of the devastation in Japan. Though Job lost everything (except his wife) the bible tells us that “in all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (Job 1:22).
There is hope
In time, God restored to Job twice what he had lost and blessed him more in the latter days than his beginning (Job 42:12). There is hope and it’s in Jesus Christ – the author and finisher of our faith. We must pray for those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, that they would come to the saving grace and faith in the Son of God. We must also pray for God’s sovereign will in this tragic time for the people of Japan.
While it is difficult to understand why bad things happen, one thing we can know for sure – God is holy and just; He is sovereign and there is no other God like him. We can take great comfort in God and his holy word:
Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Nahum 1:7
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”
Psalm 138:7
‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.”
Psalm 121:1-2
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Isaiah 51:11
“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”minuscule -
Sinking to Victory
The Battle
A few years ago, my good friend and then senior pastor of Providence Baptist Church Larry Miller, asked me to serve as his associate pastor. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. My response to him was that I would certainly pray for God’s direction. Not feeling very confident in my own abilities, I also told him that he could count on one thing – “I would no doubt make mistakes, but that I would not make them sitting the boat.”
After considerable reflection of the past 10 years, I have made a lot of mistakes in ministry! I did step out of the boat and onto the water, and like Peter, I took a few steps and began to sink, and it feels like I have been sinking ever since. I sometimes feel like I have caused more harm than good.
I would struggle daily with despondency and doubts as to whether I heard God right. Satan whispering in my ear that I am not worthy to serve the Lord in ministry. Of course, it was not always Satan trying to discourage me, my own flesh warred against me. It’s a daily conflict for the battle ground of my mind.
The Promise
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
I plunge into daily battle with my sword – the word of God. It’s in His word that victory is won. It’s the absolute promises of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that gets me through the daily trials and tribulations of life – no matter how much ground it appears that I am losing – I am victories through the blood of Christ! Knowing the promise that Jesus began his good work in me when I made him the Lord of my life, will complete his work in me and through me until I see him face to face.
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Not Alone
Romans 8:38-39
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It’s dark and cold. That season of life which seems to come around when you least expect it. Your friends are scarce. Loneliness creeps in trying to capture your last bit of hope. You wait for the phone to ring – for someone to acknowledge that you have been missed, but it never does. No doubt, that everyone is busy with life. Still, you wait.
Darkness tries to settle in and make itself home. Despair soon joins in the gathering of emotions working to rob you of hope. “How can this be,” you ask your self in an attempt to try to understand, “how can you know so many people and yet feel so all alone?”
Quietly, a still voice – the Holy Spirit – begins to speak. Gently reminding you of God’s love, that bond of unbreakable friendship made possible by the blood of Christ and through his Lordship you know you have a friend in Jesus – a friend who is calling and waiting for you with an inseparable love that conquers all fears. Darkness has no place to work it despair for nothing can separate God’s love for us.
“I am not alone.”
Remembering God’s promises brings life. Jesus is the light that destroys the darkness. In Jesus hope is restored. A new day dawns. There is more pain, more darkness and despair, there are others. Time to make a phone call…
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Useless
Useless. That’s how my sin makes me feel. Useless. The deep despair in my soul as the darkness grows and the still quiet voice inside me saying – useless. The squandering of my past, the reality of my present and the dim view of my future all leaves me with the feeling of being useless.
And yet, God intervenes. His glory reigns. The power of the Cross – ever before me – a vivid reminder of the utter pain and suffering of Jesus. The blood and water dripping from his side; his hands and feet pierced for my iniquities. The pain of the crown of thorns tearing through the skin of his brow. Oh, the terrible cost of my sin. Jesus paid it all!
As I kneel at the cross, looking up, I see my saviour looking down upon me. The shame and guilt tearing through my soul. Oh how could I have caused such an innocent man to bear my sin. And yet, through his pain and suffering and ultimate death looking down at me through the ages of time, Jesus says, “this blood is for you.”
I plead Psalm 51.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.God’s magnificent grace and mercy poured out on me through His Son. The perfect sacrifice. The brightness of His glory piercing the darkness of my soul. His mercy and steadfast love lifting me out of the utter despair. My eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! I have been set free, and I am free indeed!
The darkness has lifted; my iniquities forgiven. The power of the cross is my past, present and my glorious future. I sing aloud the righteousness of God’s glory and love. My sins cleansed. I am no longer useless. The joy of my salvation restored. I sing praises. I am filled with the Holy Spirit. Oh, the power of the cross!
Alētheia: Truth 