Apr 27, 2016

God is Love (17)
1 John 4:8

Love rejoices with the truth (1)
1 Corinthians 13

Pilot put it well, when Jesus said “’I have come into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.’ Pilot said to him, ‘What is truth?’’ (John 18:38). Truth is always in the eyes of the beholder, so when Pilot stated “What is truth?” he was not just stating something bitter, but was stating one of the profound understandings of the philosophers of that day (and of today) that truth is always only as understood by the individual: my truth is not the same as your truth, and that stands for everybody. We each have our own truth, and that is the source of the majority of arguments in the world. The various versions of Truth start wars, cause divorces, and untold strife stems from the various understandings of Truth.
As a case in point, my understandings (my Truth) of the nature of God has evolved enormously over the 75+ years of seeking of the kingdom of God that I have pursued. And truthfully, I expect it to shift even further until I transition, then I suspect that it will shift even further than it has all during my life.
But these words that were put in the mouth of Jesus and Pilot (remember, there were no transcripts made of that meeting, so this is the imaginings of the gospel writers, but still a good point to bring home, as the gospel writer was trying to emphasize that the words of Jesus were to be assimilated by humanity in trying to live those words into life) spoke of the basis of Christianity: that the Living Words of Jesus form the basic pattern to the path to God for all of Humanity, as Jesus spoke in general terms that can be applied to all situations, not specific points.
Truth in its nature can only expressed in broad terms, as any time we apply these truths to a specific situation, it then applies only to that situation and no other, thus is a limited version of truth lived out. The words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount illustrate the nature of Truth: generalized approaches to life (feed the hungry, etc.), but the individual life we live trying to put those words into action are our own truth being lived as an illustration of the Truth spoken by Jesus.
Love your neighbor as yourself, one of the two prime directives from God for humanity, is a challenge to understand in its fullness. It has taken me many years to understand that directive and to attempt to live that understanding into life, and I still find it difficult in various situations to really live that into reality. I find built-in fears and emotions buried deep in my psyche cause me to flinch in some situations that surprise me when they occur, and make me pause and readjust my response to be hopefully more inline to how Jesus would respond.
Every one of us has these built-in fears and emotions. We learn only through experience when these emotions and fears erupt that they are still part of our being. We can rationalize all we want about how perfect are the loving words of Jesus, but when we find ourselves in a situation that is not clear, our inner fears erupt and spoil our self-image of the “good guy”, and show us were we still have to grow in out basic being to become Who We Really Are in our heart, our core.

For in the day of trouble
God will keep me safe in the dwelling of God;
God will hide me in the
Shelter of the sacred tent
And set me high upon a rock.
                         Psalm 27: 5

Meditation

My Rock, my Shield, my Lover. Even when I have no strength, You will shelter me, and keep me safe. I have struggled all my life, even when after all these years find myself wallowing in my fears that I thought I had left behind years ago, You comfort me. I am comforted day after day by the knowledge of Your Love that keeps me safe. When I seek You, You always respond, showing me the path to your safety, to the comfort of Your Being. I, like all of humanity, listen to your words and try to see the way of Truth in my life, living it as appears to me at the moment, adjusting my approach to the Truth as Your Wisdom guides me into an ever deepening relationship with the Being I perceive as my Guiding Wisdom. I am grateful that You have been patient with me over the years, coaxing me step by step along the way. Looking back on my life I am amazed at the changes in outlook that I have undergone, and understand that change is the nature of life, and thus as I live out the Truth as I perceive it You will nudge me further into the purity of the Way of Life still to come. I bow my head at Your Wisdom over the years, and open my heart to Your ways to come.

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