Honesty: Is Obtained As We Abide
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' - John 8:31-32 (NKJV)
We've seen that honesty protects us from the snowball effect of lying and that it's also a blessing to those around us. Now we want to turn our attention to how we actually obtain it. How does a natural-born liar, living in a world filled with other liars, manage to go against this moral flow and become an honest and truthful human being? The answer is Jesus.
Look at the Lord's statement above. He tells us that those who abide in His word will be those who 'know the truth.' A more contemporary translation reads: 'If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you' (MSG). Jesus is saying our connection to Him will determine the degree of truthfulness we experience as we go through life. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we will become like Him. The more we're in His presence, the more of His compassion, courage, and conviction we will experience.
It works the same way when it comes to honesty. Try telling a lie after you've just spent some serious time in communion with Christ. You can't do it because at that point, you're in such a state of abiding in Him that your heart desires what He desires and you want to do what He wants you to do. It's glorious! The problem comes as we allow ourselves to drift from that place and we start to tolerate lying. Before long we take it a step further and actually pursue it. We've all been there.
Our goal is to live honestly, and we can only get there by abiding in Jesus. Let's be honest enough to admit that we're lost liars without Him, and let's stay connected to the Truth so that we don't find ourselves inching toward a lie.
DIG - How does a dishonest person become honest?
DISCOVER - What do you do in order to abide in Christ?
DISPLAY - Ask the Lord to show you how you can abide in Him more often.
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At the age of 24, Bob Coy left a coveted position in the music industry to serve as an associate pastor with Calvary Chapel of Las Vegas. In 1985, Bob and his wife, Diane, moved to Fort Lauderdale and began Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale. As senior pastor, he has become well known for his unique style in expounding the Scriptures, making them come alive and relate to those of us living in the 21st century. His teaching style emphasizes the believer's "life application" of the highest standards of God's truth while his delivery captures the loving heart of God's Spirit.
Pastor Bob has had the rare privilege of watching God's miraculous hand move in the individual lives of those in the fellowship as well as the corporate body as a whole. From the first meeting in a living room with four in attendance, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale has now become home to over 17,000 men and women from the tri-county area, and ranks as the eighth largest church in the country. Though many have tried to attribute its rapid growth to numerous reasons, no one is more surprised by the phenomenon than Pastor Bob, who gives total credit and all the glory to God alone.
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