Voices

   Jesus says in John 18:37 that He came into the world to testify to the truth. He says in John 14:6 that He is the truth. He says that truth is wrapped up in Him, and His words are the truth.

   Deep down, each person wants to believe that what he believes is true, really true. I know I do, and I do not want to be led astray by anything and everything that is not.

   There is a constant clamor of voices around me. Voices from other people, voices that speak from the newspaper, from books that I read, from the Internet, voices on the radio and the TV. All of these purport to speak the truth, and most of the time, the ones that speak in any of these ways believe that what they speak is true. Sometimes, the percentage I would not know, those people, whose words I read or hear, deliberately seek to deceive, but the men and women who put out the stuff I look at or hear, for the most part, believe in what they say.

   I have just finished reading a book about British involvement in the American Civil War. This book is 800 pages of facts, far too many for me to diligently research and ascertain if they are true. So I trust that the author has done her homework, and that what she presents as true history, is. It sounds right to me, so I make it my basis for this subject. Her conclusions become mine, until I chance to read another book that leads elsewhere, and then I am confused. The events that happened back in the 1860s, actually did happen, and they happened in a certain order, and for a certain purpose. From the vantage point of 150 years later, the "whys" of history are nebulous, but there is a truth there also. Two people researching this material may come up with different conclusions about these "whys", but at the time the event happened, there was a true reason.

   So, if I want to know what is really true, in the history of the Civil War, in the current political scene, in science, in religion or any other area, what do I do?

   The clamor of voices, whether written or spoken, is endless and loud at times. Do I listen to Nancy Pelosi or Rush Limbaugh? Who not only has the facts, but also the correct rendering of those same facts? I want to know who I can trust, not just who shouts the loudest.

   Jesus tells those who listened to Him and believe in what He said in John 8:31, "If you abide in My Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free".

   Here is my trustworthy source, and He gives the truth of what matters.

   Can I know the truth of 1862 England? Maybe not with certainty, but I can know that there is a truth out there. Something did happen, in some way, and for some concrete reason, it just may be hard to get to from a century and a half down the road.

   This is one reason I like to get up early and look at what Jesus says. I trust His words, and abiding there gives me a perspective to look at the barrage of information and voices that will hit me later.

   There is truth out there, and this is where I choose to begin my search today.