April 25, 2013 (Thursday)
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:5).
There will be a lunar eclipse this evening, but here in Rockport we will not be able to see it because from our point of view on earth the moon will be below the horizon.
If someone had not told us about it, we would never have known. As far as I can tell, we are no worse off as well as no better off now that we know about it. I suppose we could classify this knowledge as useless information.
“Useless information” makes for big-time profits in the tabloid business, both printed and broadcast, because the purveyors of the sensational always dress up the “useless” with lies or half-truths. Or they tell us stuff we really have no right to know, because it’s none of our business. Of course, we don’t have to read the stuff, watch it on TV, or listen to the gossipers. If we have hearing aids, we can turn them off. If we have good hearing, we can decide not to listen.
The wonderful internet keeps me informed. Reputable news sources are good. Repeating gossip and slander is not good. I get emails in which people are mercilessly slandered by vitriolic gossip followed by testimonies of answered prayer and encouragement to live moral lives. Wha? Consistency, where art thou?
Some who urge posting the Ten Commandments on the courthouse lawn also trample on the Ninth Commandment daily in their blogs, emails, twitters, facebook posts, and daily conversations. They bear false witness. In direct opposition to the God who gave the commandment.
I almost laugh when I see caustic slander in email followed by an appeal to “Snopes.” When I check out Snopes, it actually says the lies I’ve been reading in that specific email are exactly that. Which tells me that the person who sent the stuff never actually read it. Snopes was his authority but Snopes said it was all lies.
The “Thou shalt not’s” from God imply “Thou shalts.” “Thou shalt not kill” implies “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” And so on. Maybe it’s time for us to take Jesus at His word, and do what He says: “Love one another.”
Devotional Thought:
Acts 1:8 – “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” Don’t lose your savor. Don’t quench your light.