THE TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE

When Jesus stood before Pilate, he asked Jesus, “What is truth?” But he didn’t wait for the answer. If he had, I’m sure Jesus would have told him something similar to what he said in John 17:17 and John 8:31-32.

In John 17:17, Jesus said God’s word is Truth. In John 8:31-32, Jesus said if we continue in his word we will know the truth and the truth will make us free. I don’t know about you, but I want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

The truth is there in God’s Book, the Holy Bible. The answers to our questions about life here on Earth, and life in the hereafter. Satan is out to destroy us, and we make it easier for him when we don’t know and understand God’s word. Remember how Jesus responded to Satan’s attacks when he tempted him in the wilderness? He used God’s word. Each time, he said, It Is Written, then he quoted The scriptures.

Today, there are many different opinions about religion, the Bible, human nature, the beginning of time, and many other things. Too often, people put their own interpretations on the things we deal with in life, and too often, we develop our beliefs by following our emotions. I’ve talked to many people about God and the Bible who say they believe what they believe because that’s what they’ve always believed. I’ve talked to people who believe what they believe because of things they saw in a movie years ago.

I’ve loved Bible movies since I was a kid, but sadly, I’ve never seen one that was 100% biblically accurate. There always seem to be errors or at least misinterpretations in the script, especially when they add dialogue that is not in the Bible. I understand why the writers add words, but sometimes I wonder if they’ve even read the Bible or if they’re just telling a story that they grew up hearing. I mean, sometimes that’s exactly what it seems like.

Reading the Bible is very important. Knowing the truth can mean the difference between life and death; both physical and spiritual. We can be deceived in so many ways if we don’t read God’s word. Acts 17:11 tells us that the people of Berea were more noble than the people in Thessalonica because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught was true, and that’s the way we should be today. There are so many foolish teachings that would be completely cleared up if we would only read and believe the Bible.

Let’s read the scriptures I mentioned at the beginning. Since I only generalize them then, we’ll now see that they have a much deeper meaning.

John 17:17

17 Make them holy through your truth. Your word is truth.

Jesus was talking to the Father here about his disciples. He asked the Father to make them holy through his word because his word is holy. So, to be holy we must read God’s word. Paul tells Timothy something similar in 2 Timothy 3:15.

2 Timothy 3:15

15 From childhood, you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus, the Messiah.

So to be saved, we must believe in Jesus. To believe in Jesus we must read about him, and get to know him through God’s word, the Bible. Can you see how important the Bible is? Look at the next verse.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All scripture is inspired by God, and is helpful for teaching, for evidence, for correction, and for instruction in being holy:

These verses tell us that the Bible leads us to salvation, and then shows us how to live a holy life through Jesus.

John 8: 31-32

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and,

32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

There it is again; if we continue in his word or continue to read his word and follow it, and obey it, we will truly be his disciples, and by reading God’s word, we will know the truth, and we will be set free by the truth. Don’t you want to be set free? Don’t you want to know the truth? Lies deceive us, but the truth sets us free from those lies and deception. Knowing that God’s word is truth, we should want to know God’s word so we can be saved, live a holy life, and protect ourselves from being deceived by Satan and his minions.

Find time to read the Bible every day, if only for a few minutes. You’ll soon find yourself spending more time reading, and loving it. Yeah, it’s really that simple to start. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so don’t delay. Start today. God bless you.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2024 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

DRIVE SAFELY OR YOU MAY REGRET IT

 

I once put a post on Twitter (now X) that said “I almost die every morning on my way to work.” It hasn’t been that frequent lately, but it still happens, more often than it should, and it’s scary. I’ve had several close calls over the years, and most of them involve someone who is distracted by something, and/or are driving too fast. I realize the few examples here all involve women drivers, but my experiences have involved both men and women, young and old. These are just the more interesting ones.

Several years ago, on my way to work, I met a young girl on the road who was putting on makeup while driving. She came around the curve in the middle of the road. Praise the Lord, she quickly got back on her side, and avoided hitting me. Periodically, for the next year or so, I would meet her on that same road. Then one day, I realized I hadn’t seen her for a while, and I never saw her again. I pray she didn’t have an accident. I like to think she finished high school, and went on to college, and/or got a good job, and she’s going to work at a different time than me, or maybe she got married, or just moved. I don’t know but, whatever the case may be, I hope and pray she has become a safer driver.

One morning recently, I was approaching a traffic light as it turned red. The minivan next to me crossed the line and came into my lane, so I swerved into the turning lane to keep her from hitting me. I said out loud, “Get back in your lane lady!” I know she didn’t hear me, but she quickly got back into her lane when she realized what was happening. As I drove past her, I saw that she was a young girl, and she was eating a burger. She was risking her life, and the life of others for food; that’s crazy.

Another morning, on my ride to work, I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw another mini-van coming up behind me. As it got closer, it went into the left lane to pass me. As the van went around me, I glanced over and saw a shocking site. The lady had a cup in one hand, and her phone in the other, and she was on a video call. How was she driving, with her knees? So Dangerous!

Earlier this week, I was on my way to work when a car came up beside me in the passing lane. Before the lady got past me, she stomped on the gas, and swerved in front of me, barely missing my front left fender by just a few feet. She was obviously in a hurry because she kept speeding up and cutting in front of other cars. It was also obvious that the car had already been in at least one wreck. The front end was messed up pretty good. The way people drive these days, makes me want to stay off the road and out of cars. It’s sad that our world has become so full of such reckless people.

My eighteen-year-old nephew, Noah, and his fiancée were hit by a young woman speeding, and passing in a no-passing zone, and both of them died from the crash leaving both their mothers, and their families devastated, with broken hearts that will never heal. The young lady was in the hospital for a while but she survived. She’ll have to live with their deaths on her conscience for the rest of her life. Not to mention the ridicule she has received and probably will continue to receive for a long time to come.

My children are grown and have children of their own, and I worry about some careless driver causing an accident, and taking their lives. They are always telling me about close calls they have every week. This can’t keep happening. Another trend we keep seeing is speeding in parking lots. It’s becoming a big problem. What’s it going to take for people to slow down and think about someone other than themselves?

Speeding, passing, driving distracted from phones, radios, video players, food, and driving under the influence of Alcohol, Marijuana, and even prescription drugs are all causing countless accidents on the roads today, and countless lives are being destroyed. It has to Stop! It has to.

Every time there’s a widespread issue in the public, many people want to pass more laws to address the problem. I believe we already have enough laws concerning cars and drivers on the road. Those laws just need to be enforced and obeyed. Laws are there for a reason. Most traffic laws are to protect our lives on the roads. People need to be more responsible and stop breaking the law.

We need to stop using our phones while driving and keep our eyes on the road at all times. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t exceed the speed limit, and slow down. Leave home in plenty of time to arrive at your destination on time, and have some respect for the other drivers on the road, and people walking in parking lots. This would significantly reduce the number of accidents, and deaths out there. Do it for yourself, and your family, and my family. Please. Drive safely or you may regret it. Thank you.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

https://teddylynn10.tumblr.com

© 2024 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @

https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6