“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,
who draw sin as with cart ropes,
who say: ‘Let him… speed his work
that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
and let it come, that we may know it!’
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and shrewd in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
and deprive the innocent of his right!” Isaiah 5:18-23
“Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.The Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.”
“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” John 10:23-31; 12:26
From the beginning, God’s word was clear. The serpent twisted His command to stroke Eve’s emotions and titillate her senses. By confusing her thinking, he upended what had been paradise, and has been turning truth upside down in the mind of man ever since. Jesus spoke plainly that He was the way, truth, and life, but some people refused to hear. Throughout time, man has been wont to prefer self-interest to God’s message. Throughout the Scriptures, the word is clear for those who will listen, and the Lord denounces those who refuse. (Genesis 3:1-6; John 14:6; 2 Timothy 4:3-4)
It is not reason that illuminates our faith, it is faith in God that illuminates our reason. We ask wrong questions, more interested in proving our desired conclusions than learning what God has to say. We go about trying to prove our premises with tools of the flesh when the Word is saying, Come to Me. We cannot serve both ourselves and God. Approaching Him by faith with open heart and mind dissolves natural consternation with the light of truth. (Matthew 6:24)
In what situations am I most prone to manipulate? How willing am I to listen to and actually entertain another’s opinion? How often we start discussions with ready answers, or arguments with preconceptions about our ‘opponents’ and pre-set solutions. We goad others to get what we want. Do we do the same with Jesus? Where do I- my preferences, push, stubbornness, pride- need to get out of the way so the Lord can have His?
Lord, help me set aside flesh and stand upright in Spirit to be a good listener and to embrace Your unadulterated truth.
As the rain and snow 