Truth - Where Is It?

It has been awhile since I last posted a blog.  Most of this month has been consumed with the needs of making another major move - this time from Iowa back to Minnesota.  We sold our townhouse in Ankeny, IA and bought a townhouse in Buffalo, MN.  Marlys and I have decided that making two major moves in 13 months should not be something that is aspired toward.  We are hoping that God will give us a nice, long stay in Buffalo - and I know that the folks in my church hope so as well.

These are very interesting times, aren't they?  Last week was the Republican Convention in Cleveland.  I believe we may have seen the creation of a new form of Republicanism.  While I did not always agree with decisions made during the convention, I did admire that the emphasis was upon "Making America Great Again."  It was interesting to visit with one of the men who helped us in our move from Iowa back to Minnesota.  He and his family were refugees from Bosnia and came to Iowa in 2006.  His family learned English right away.  He was able to get a job and not to depend upon governmental handouts.  He asked me why all refugees and immigrants did not do as he and his family did?  He and his family are productive citizens because they have earned that right because they have followed the laws and protocols.  I may not agree with everything Donald Trump stands for, but I believe many middle-class Americans will resonate with his desires to build a stronger military and to get back to the basics of an economy driven by American production. 

This week it is the Democrats turn in Philadelphia.  It is a party that is not as united as it would have us to believe.  But history was made with the nomination of Hillary Clinton to be the standard bearer for them.  Now the race can begin with two candidates that the majority of Americans do not like, nor do they trust.  How did we get into this predicament?  What happened? 

I believe the answer is as simple as this: we have abandoned absolute truth.  Truth today is all relative.  Truth is always changing.  Truth is personal, crafted for each individual.  What are perceived to be lies to one person are truths to others.  When there is no absolute standard for truth, if there is no solid foundation upon which truth is established, then is it possible that there really is no truth?  In the absence of truth all becomes merely opinions.  For example, Hillary Clinton has her opinions as to what happened that night in Benghazi.  The family of those killed that night have their opinions.  The media has formed its opinions.  And the American people are left to wonder: what actually happened that night?  What is the truth? 

Where does a person turn today to find truth?  Opinions are everywhere - everyone has one just about everything.  But what about truth?  As a Christian, I believe that absolute truth is found in the Word of God, known as the Bible.  Jesus, in His High Priestly Prayer, recorded in John 17, said these words, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."  Furthermore, this same Jesus said to His disciples earlier that evening, as recorded in John 14, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."  To know Jesus is to know truth.  To read the Bible is to know truth.  To know God is to know truth because God is incapable of telling a lie. 

Friends, in the absence of absolute truth - of absolute morality, bad things happen.  A priest is murdered while he is performing a mass at a church in France.  Five policemen are gunned down while patrolling a demonstration in Dallas.  Eighty-four people are mowed down by a madman driving a truck in Nice, France.  And the list goes on and on.  In the absence of truth, almost anything is permissible. 

Personally I have decided that I need to spend more time in my own personal Bible study.  I need to spend more time in prayer for my wife, for my children, for my grandchildren, and for my church family.  And every time I step behind that pulpit, I need to be reminded that I am to help people to understand God's truth for the days in which we live.  It is only that truth that truly sets people free.