The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but...

I think one of the most frustrating things about Christians is their tunnel vision. We all know that we can use the Bible to support, or refute, any point of view. And most of us can quote scads of Scriptures to back up our own. But we all too often quote one or two verses, which is liable to skew the context. Why do we find it so difficult to be corrected, even by God? Sure, nobody wants to feel like a dunce for having been mistaken in any of their beliefs. But I'd sure rather feel stupid for a minute now than for an eternity after He says He never knew me!

I spoke with a lady once who was fuming because, on the shelf at her local Christian book store, she spotted a book that had the audacity to declare that her church was a cult. OK, I reckon if someone said that about my church, I'd get defensive, as well. But then I'd have to check it out. Truly, if my belief system is wrong in any way, I want to find out before it's too late. We need to realize that our eternal destiny is much more important than being right all the time.

We need to embrace the whole Gospel, not just the parts that fit inside our comfort zones. Sometimes, it's good to squirm a little. If someone challenges something you believe, don't dismiss him as an ignorant heathen. Dust off your Bible and hunt down the verses that back you up. Then pray, asking God to reveal His truth to you. Now read the entire chapter. The entire book, if need be. If you find that you were right, tell that person the truth in love. If you find that you were wrong., thank him, for Pete's sake!

Never get too settled. God is still working on you. Don't stop working on yourownself. Shake yourself up every now and then. Don't let yourself get stagnant. As long as we're down here, we don't know enough. Any time we think we've got it all figured out, that's the time to get on our knees and ask God what we're doing wrong.

Have a JESUS-filled day!