Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word that I command you,
nor take from it,
that you may keep the commandments
of the Lord your God that I command you.
This was a quick shot of the moon rising at early dusk the other evening. Sitting on my back porch that is screened in, I looked at it – amazed at the distortion of the pic.
This is not what my eyes saw.
The screen between us created an untruthful image.
We all know the moon is not diamond shaped or the sky filled with black dots.
But this picture is real.
All because a screen came between my camera and the sky.
Then I thought of this scripture and remembered the warning we are given in scripture.
With all the connectivity of the world today, I marvel at the ways truth is distorted and manipulated. How can we truly know what the truth is? How often are we convinced because of what our eyes see and what we are told is truth?
If I look at this picture long enough, I might be able to believe the moon is diamond shaped and the sky filled with black dots.
If I never step out onto the deck beyond the image the screen presented to me, seeking the unobstructed view of the moon, I will never know the truth.
Friends – the moon is still round. Whew.
Scripture can be manipulated and twisted and turned to create “truths” that serve the writer’s purpose. I watch and listen.
Amazed at how simple it is to do so – my words and actions have become very important to me.
I pray.
Asking God to remove all filters that would distort or misguide me as I study His word.
“Truths” I was taught as a child. “Truths” that made it easier to deal with what was going on around me and in me. “Truths” that became a way for me to manipulate the chaos around me.
It’s not my fault.
I am a victim.
This is what happened to me and why I act like this.
I can’t change my situation.
I am helpless.
One giant filter creating a distorted reality that will keep me a prisoner continually living on a repeat cycle. Blocking the truths of scripture – God’s word and His presence in my life.
Convincing me I am powerless to be anything but what this distortion presents to me.
It’s all fake.
The lies of the world rob us of becoming who God created us to be.
I pray for discernment.
I dig deep into scripture for the truths waiting for me there. God writes a lot to us about how to keep the world view from robbing us of His presence.
Because I have walked right into the lies of the world and made them my truths.
But today – I constantly work at removing the filters that keep God’s truth from me. Keeping me from seeing with incredible clarity how present He is and where He is at work in me.
Deuteronomy 12:32
“Everything that I command you,
you shall be careful to do.
You shall not add to it or take from it.”
The world works hard at convincing us the Bible is outdated or irrelevant to our world today. The opposite is the truth. It has always been and remains incredibly relevant today.
I invite you to dig into scripture for your self. Rejecting the tiny detours – sometimes really big ones that move us away from God’s word. Reject adding to or subtracting from.
God’s word is not a menu. We don’t get to pick and choose the parts we like. It is one message of forgiveness, redemption and hope for our journey through this life and into heaven.
Join me on this quest – He didn’t write these words for a select few – He gave them to every single human He has created.
That’s how much He loves us.
“Father – give us the courage we need to ask questions when we read something in Your word but then when we hear it spoken of – it looks like the round moon is really diamond shaped. Give us the clarity we are asking for as we read Your words. We love You Lord. Amen”
Your traveling buddy,
Janet