His Word > our words. His Truth > our truth.
/I love the book of Ephesians. Today I spent time in Chapter 4, and it made me think ALOT about our words in light of His Word and our tone in light of His Truth. I encourage you to read it, too. I promise it is more powerful than these words I’m about to share with you.
Allie Beth Stuckey put it this way, “It goes back to pride. We think we are more loving than God, we think we are wiser than God, we think we are more compassionate and empathetic than God, we think we know truth better than God. It’s all about exchanging the God of scripture for the god of self.”
When we think we know better than God, and we abandon His Truth, we will inevitably give in to the deception of the enemy. We will buy into the lie by constantly asking the question the enemy himself asked Eve in the garden, “Did God really say?”
He tries to trick us into thinking our tone is more important than speaking the truth.
He tries try to tempt us to believe our words show others love by coddling and comforting them, even if our words condone their sin.
We’re more concerned about how something sounds than what is being said.
And we will continue to doubt His Word if we continue to elevate others’ words.
Because trading His Truth for insufficient substitutes only pacifies, but never satisfies.
Endless questions and relentless doubt will keep tossing us about.
But being rooted in the Truth of His Word will keep us safe and secure and able to endure.
The Standard has been set.
The Truth has been told.
The Way has been made.
Our role is not to rule.
Our role is to live by His rules.
It’s not oppressive or degrading.
It’s actually protective and liberating.
We are not the author of truth.
We don’t get to decide.
We just get to abide.
Stay and obey.
His Word > our words.
His Truth > our tone.
“A poisonous pill is never a whit the less poisonous because it is gilded over with gold; nor a wolf is never a whit the less a wolf because he has put on a sheep's skin; nor the devil is never a whit the less a devil because he appears sometimes like an angel of light. So neither is sin any whit the less filthy and abominable by its being painted over with virtue's colors.” ~ Thomas Brooks