The Essential Truth
Many Christian values are inherent in our society and culture, most people believe in good and bad, that we should tell the truth and share and treat others fairly. But when we see national institutions, businesses and football clubs bend and break the rules these can be hard to swallow. It is human nature to tell the white lie to disguise a mistake, to ignore a problem and hope it will go away, to not say sorry as we can't see what we did wrong. And this can just cause problems to deepen and perpetuate - estrangement from family, denial of debt, reliance on drugs or alcohol to get through.
In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, the prophet is tasked to tell the people of Jerusalem the truth from God about their actions. They call themselves the people of God and rely on this to keep them safe but they have become complacent and moved away from practicing as people of God, even down to sacrificing their children to idols and turning to false prophets to tell them what they want them to hear. When Ezekiel tells them the truth from God, they prevaricate and try to shift blame - he must be talking in parables, this is only what could happen, this is something that may happen in the future - it is not something that effects us now.
21 The word of the Lord came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? 23 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. 25 But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
26 The word of the Lord came to me: 27 “Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’
28 “Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” Ezekiel 12: 21 - 28 (NIV)
Even when God spoke to them, they chose not to believe it, to bury their heads in the sand and continue to live their lives as they had chosen, to close their eyes to the truth and the wrong of this path. But we are in such a better position now - because we know Jesus.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8: 31 - 32 (NIV)
Jesus is the essential Truth. For those who hold to His teaching, the Truth will set them free. And holding to His teaching is an ongoing process - it is living the Christian life that we profess, both in word and in the way we live our lives. Jesus' Truth is a way of being, a Truth that is wisdom, sense and a power for change - it is a Way of knowledge that leads us through action, love and care. It is a Truth that sets us free - freedom from having to hide from God and from ourselves the things that make us ashamed and freedom to share that Truth with others - like our clients to give them the freedom to know that they do not need to hide their debts from themselves but that there is someone to help and to bring hope and a way forward.
Ely and District CAP News
30k for 30 years
Christians Against Poverty is 30 years old this year, and we have joined the challenge to walk 30k and raise money for CAP! We will aim to walk 30k from Ely to Cambridge on Saturday 24th October. To sponsor the team head to our JustGiving page:
Prayer
Please pray for all those situations where we hide the truth from ourselves or try to cover up our mistakes. Pray for the courage to face up to, learn from and move forward from these situations. Praying especially for those struggling with debt, that they would have the courage to take that step to ask for help.
Please pray for our debt coaches, visit team and supporters for all the love and care that they bring to our clients and especially for the love and support that they bring alongside and beyond the practical journey out of debt.
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