Daily Disciples Devotional - November 26

November 26

Today’s Readings: Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13

Today’s Thoughts: Just the Truth

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10

Many of us equate truth with whatever is in print. I have heard people say, “I read it in the paper. The writers wouldn’t write it if it wasn’t true.” However, I am reminded of two different news articles regarding staff reporters who lied about their writings. The first one involved a long time employee of the New York Times, one of the most prestigious newspapers in the world. The reporter confessed that he lied frequently and deliberately as a means of generating a good story. The second story that made a lasting impression on my mind is about a reporter from USA Today who committed the same types of forgery and deception. Both men covered stories involving the tragedies of 911 and the war in Iraq. Much of their information was falsified to the extreme point of using photos of individuals supposedly killed; later, these people were discovered to be very much alive. Not only does this revelation speak volumes to what goes on behind the scenes of the media world, but it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the gullible public who has no way of knowing where truth really exists.

Where does “truth” really exist? Do we actually accept that anything written in print is somehow more believable? The Bible says that “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” So, in essence, we are all sinners and we are all capable of lying or falsifying information. I think we just expect more integrity from those who make a living out of reporting the news in “truth.” But there is a lesson in this for all of us: don’t believe everything you read. There is only one Word that is truth and it is the holy Bible. Anything else taken and written by man has an opportunity for errancy and deception. Why? Because we as human beings are sinners, capable of lying and deceit at every turn. We even justify our exaggerations by calling them “little white lies” or “just stretching the truth.” 

Our only hope is in confessing our sins to “He” who “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” and to save us from perishing in them. He is Jesus Christ. He is Truth. Today, we must plant His word in our hearts and minds so that His truth will guide us in our daily lives. Why should we waste so much time reading and listening to the world’s news of death and destruction when we have the Good News that brings hope eternal? Think about it and make the switch today.