absolute truth

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 John 4:7-21
John 8:31-38

Love rejoices with the truth.
Love.
Rejoices.
Truth.

When was the last time you rejoiced in the truth?
When was the last time receiving truth registered as love?

The last few weeks I have shared a unique dance with the truth. More accurately, the dance has been a battle between my willingness to embrace the truth or to dabble with the doubts entering my mind.
Have you ever been there?
It’s a dance that leaves me exhausted until I choose to move to the trusted rhythms of the truth the Lord speaks to me.

I have been a bit of slow learner the last few weeks. In preparation for an event a church, one at which I held a leadership role, I found myself assaulted by so many thoughts. Some moments I stood solidly on the truth of the Word and all the Lord has spoken to me over the years regarding who I am in Him. Other times I teetered on the edge of full on panic as to my role in the event.

I write this journey study after the event has taken place, and I am still stunned at the way the Lord demonstrated Zephaniah 3:17 throughout the event:
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.

He faithfully answered prayers and demonstrated that stepping out in obedience is never wasted. Each time I have reflected on the event and the way the Lord demonstrated His goodness, the reality of the truth in 1 Corinthians 13 comes to mind, specifically how
“Love rejoices with the truth.”

God, who is love, rejoices with the truth.
He rejoices when I believe Him and His Word.
He rejoices when I trust the promises He has spoken.
He rejoices when I embrace the identity He has given me, hidden away in His truth.

I could sense His overwhelming love this weekend not only to me, but to all those involved in the event. His love was woven throughout every moment.
The more I reflect on that love poured out at the event,
the more I see the value and blessing of truth in my life.

One way this blessing is unleashed is through the parameters truth sets in life.
There is an absolute truth and Jesus is it.
My feelings are useful in many ways, but they are not the best determining factors as to what the truth is. As the event approached, my feelings were like a compass that had lost its true north. One day I was petrified of the responsibility I held as a leader in this role. Another day I felt like a boxer psyching myself up for a match for which I had long prepared. Still other days I would look in the mirror and ask myself who I thought I was. Our event centered around worship and as I listened to the worship team practicing, I found myself wishing I had their ability to pour out my heart to the Lord in song. Some days singing off-key just doesn’t cut it when my heart is overflowing.

In all of those scenarios, truth provides boundary lines.
I may be able to sing better than some, but I can guarantee that leading others in worship is not the skill set the Lord has anointed me to walk out. On the opposite side of that coin, I recognize the Lord has called me into leadership, specifically with women. Both of those truths help me know how to navigate the good works God has prepared for me to fulfill. (Ephesians 2:10)

I believe there is rejoicing when I learn
the boundary lines He has placed for me.
I am able to receive His love more fully because I am not holding onto something I was never meant to carry. Because of the Lord’s truth, I am free to fully focus on who He has called me to be.

Truth provides the foundation for my life’s anchor.
The story of the man who built his house on the rock is the reality I want to see in my life. When Jesus is my foundation, my Absolute Truth, my life has a stability that allows me to survive and thrive throughout the highs and lows of life.

Not only does truth provide the guidelines for life,
it also provides the bedrock of the path I walk.
Lord, help us rejoice in the truth and to love the truth You pour out.
May both enable us to experience all the love You desire to pour out upon us.

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