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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
The Love of the Truth is not only a noble pursuit; it is an essential if one is to have any hope of pleasing God. Paul put it this way: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2.9-12; emphasis mine - jb).
To reiterate, The Love of the Truth is the love that only a thorough knowledge of the truth produces. It is the same love that God possesses and toward which we are to individually and collectively strive. It is that perfect love which casts out fear (see 1 John 3.18). The Love of the Truth is a love with positive influences and results; it does not allow itself to be molded by the world but insists upon being transformed through the renewing of the mind (see Romans 12.1-2). It is that virtue which is greater even than faith and hope (see 1 Corinthians 13.13). The Love of the Truth is not a shallow emotional response to the present, but a deep and abiding confidence in eternity. When Peter was yet in his formative stages as a disciple, Jesus asked him three times about his love for Him (see John 21.15-19). Jesus knew it was this kind of love that would sustain Peter during turbulent times as opposed to the shallow emotionalism to which he had previously been given!
The Love of the Truth is love which truth defines and not the world. By way of contrast, the love of the world is given to fleeting goals and rewards; The Love of the Truth has its eyes on heaven and is not overly concerned with material goods. The love of the world sees the attaining of material goods as a noble goal while The Love of the Truth understands that the love of money is in fact the root of all evil. The love of the world seeks the accolades of men and their approval while The Love of the Truth recognizes but one Master and One Eternal Entity which must be pleased in order to be successful. When all has been said and done, God will be exalted and those who possess The Love of the Truth will be exalted with Him and by Him; those who receive not the love of the truth (i.e. those who receive the love of the world) will be forever banished from His presence and from the glory of His power.
The love which God has for mankind is a love which has no equal on our planet. It moved Him to give the greatest of gifts and yet moves Him to withhold judgment in anticipation of our repentance and submission. It is this love that moves to faithfulness those who will be saved. It is not merely the fear of punishment that will sustain us through the darkest of hours, but rather it is this love, The Love of the Truth.
Today’s message is intended to serve as a breather and refresher in the midst of a most important study. Jesus epitomized The Love of the Truth and it is to this example that we shall return as we continue this study. However, sometimes it is just good to take time to reflect on the marvelous goodness of God and to offer thanks and praise to Him for His gracious character. This is one of those times; bow in humble submission and thank Him for who He is and what He does on your behalf. There is no gift greater than The Love of the Truth.
Questions:
1. What danger awaits those who do not receive The Love of the Truth?
2. Who or what defines The Love of the Truth?
3. What or who defines the love of the world?
4. Why is fear not an adequate motivation to sustain us in the darkest of trials?
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