Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 15, 2018
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. Titus 1:1-2
God’s truth defines and reveals reality. Satan’s lies compete with reality, as they create an illusion outside the boundaries of what’s real with a goal to deceive and destroy. A reality we enjoy is a delicious meal with engaging, fun company or the birth of a newborn after a stressful, fear filled delivery. A reality we may seek to deny is a wrong fit at work. “I am made for this role. How can we work this out? Just give me more time to prove myself”. Or, one of Satan’s lies may be the illusion that I can make my own decisions and ask the Lord, after the fact, to honor my choice (though contrary to His will). Lies restrict us, while the truth frees us!
Paul humbly describes himself as a servant of God, an apostle (having seen Jesus) of Christ, tasked with the responsibility to grow the faith of God’s people by expanding their knowledge of truth that leads to godliness, all based on the Lord’s eternal promises and His inability to lie. Every day we have the opportunity to seek out, receive and believe eternal truth or default to lazy living—swept up by the seduction of temporal untruths. As we embrace the same servant spirit of Paul, we are positioned to be humble, lifetime learners of truth. The Holy Spirit is our teacher.
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
What is a reality check? How can we implement regular reality checks? A reality check means we take the time to assess a situation, “Do I need to move on or have I done all I can do?” It may mean we face the brutal facts of a relationship, “Does she really want to be just friends?”, or “I have asked him for forgiveness, but now my best response is to wait and pray for healing”. Reality checks move truth top of mind and cause us to flush out faulty thinking, full of false assumptions or bold faced lies. Reality can be a blunt, corrective teacher or a patient instructor, revealing truth.
Above all, we lean into the instruction of the Holy Spirit to help us discern truth from lies, authenticity from deception and holiness from hypocrisy. Silently meditating on Scripture, we engage in an eternal exchange of who God is, who we are and who we need to become. Sacred are the moments our hearts are filled with hope and love from our heavenly Father and our minds are renewed by truth, reminding us of our identity in Christ. Already accepted, we can live like a free person though a controlling culture tries to dismiss God’s definition of truth. Reality checks come from a personal relationship with Jesus and accountability with His followers. Make sure you are not living in a make believe world, but in the reality the Lord’s truth defines and reveals.
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (John 16:13-14).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, slow me down to have a reality check in Your will and ways for my life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Application
What trusted friend do I need to ask for a reality check about a person or situation?
Related Reading
Romans 9:1-2; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 John 4:6, 5:6
Post/Tweet today
Reality checks move truth top of mind and cause us to flush out faulty thinking. #WisdomHunters #forgiveness #realitycheck
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