I TELL YOU THE TRUTH

How many times has someone told you this? If someone has told you this, how do you know that person was telling you the truth? Is it because of the sincere look in their eyes? Is it by the urgency in their voice? If someone constantly says to you “I tell you the truth,” do you tend to believe that person?

I searched on the phrase “I tell you the truth” at www.biblegateway.com and found that in the New International version, Jesus used this phrase at least 80 times! Now why would He say that.....so often? Unless of course, what He had to say was the truth. When I read these words from Jesus....”I tell you the truth”.....I sense the urgency in His voice, His sincere urgency to get His message across to us. What is His message? In John 14:6, he tells us "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." There He goes using that word again, only this time, He says that He is the TRUTH.....and the WAY......and the LIFE! What in the world is Jesus saying? Well, this passage tells me that Jesus is the true and only way for me to spend all of eternity with God. It also tells me that with Jesus as my savior, I finally have life. In John 10:10, Jesus says "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

As surely as I hear the urgency in His voice when He says “I tell you the truth,” I also, hear the sincerity when He says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:1-4. Dare I say that if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal savior that you still know the way to the place that He is going! Either you just don’t want to admit it, or you don’t want to believe it, or you honestly don’t know how to get to that place. It’s a matter of whether you really believe Jesus when He says in Matthew 18:3, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” When you say to a child, "I tell you the truth", that child tends to accept your words at face value. The child doesn’t analyze what you say, the child doesn’t go and discuss it with friends, the child usually says ok, believes and then picks up his or her toy and continues to play. It’s a matter of faith, you either believe or you don’t. Think about it.

Dear Father God,
My sincere prayer to You today is that all who read this may find You and come to know Your son Jesus as his or her personal savior. I pray that you guide each person in the direction that You want that person to go, that you wrap your arms around them and protect them from the evil one. Father, there are people out there reading this that has accepted Your Son as their savior, but they have wandered away from You. My prayer is that You reach out and guide them back to You, just as you did me. For the people reading this, that just don’t know You, I pray Lord that you send your Holy Spirit to guide them to you. In Your Son’s precious name, I pray. AMEN

All verses taken from the New International version.