THE LIMITS OF TRUTH

It was a tense trial. The man who was facing severe charges needed someone to testify to his trustworthiness. One of his friends was called to the stand as a witness. He was asked, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

He quietly responded, “Yes, I do.”

The judge turned to him and asked, “Do you understand the meaning of that oath?”

“Yes, your Honor, I do,” he replied. And then added, “But under those conditions, I don’t have much to say.”

What a thoughtful, cautious response. He had much that he could say, but he was clear about what he would not say. His mind was “full,” but he chose to keep his mouth “empty.”

Whatever we put into our minds eventually comes out of our mouths and is ultimately seen in our behavior. Paul advised us to “program” our minds to “Think about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and worthy of praise.” What a challenge!

If we take Paul’s advice seriously and pause to consider the importance of what we allow to enter our minds, we might be quite surprised. As people of “habits,” we do things out of routines that have been established over the years. These routines define who we are. So…

Whatever we look at or read, think on or talk about, listen to and meditate on, will impact the way we behave. There is a predictable path: from head to heart to habit

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, fill our minds with thoughts that come from Your Word that will draw us so close to You. Then we will speak words that are “worthy of praise.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8