Living in the Spirit
July 31, 2020
Scripture Reading: Romans 9:1-5
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
I must confess whenever someone says to me, “I am telling the truth; I am not lying.” I generally doubt whether they are telling the truth. I guess I am becoming more cynical in my old age. Lying has become an art in our society. Political advisors are hired who are skilled at reshaping the truth to fit their candidate’s best interests. It happens in all aspects of our society. Fact-checkers’ columns or services have become a standard.
I long for Amos’s plumb line. Something objective by which we can measure the truth with which we speak or by which we live. Paul identifies his plumb line when he calls on the Holy Spirit to test his conscience. God did create us with consciences, the sense of knowing right from wrong. Over time though, I fear we reprogram our consciences to ease our minds about doing things we know innately are wrong.
I wear glasses all day every day, and lenses get dirty. I notice it most when I attempt to watch TV in the evening. At first, I may think there is something wrong with the TV. It’s just not clear. Then I take my glasses off and am amazed that I was able to see anything. The TV is fixed once my glasses are cleaned. We do the same thing with the truth when we do not see it as clearly as we should. That is why our relationship with the Holy Spirit is so vital. The Spirit can clean our conscience’s glasses.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, truth divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine.
Voice of God and inward light,
wake my spirit, clear my sight*. Amen
*Holy Spirit, Truth Divine by Samuel Longfellow see at https://hymnary.org/text/holy_spirit_truth_divine_dawn_upon_this
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.