2 John 1:1-2 To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

This whole letter seems to be focused on love and truth. That’s very timely for our day and age, because both of those fundamental concepts have been under a lot of attack. People excuse all sorts of perversions under the mantra, “love is love,” when they’re really talking about lust. Likewise, truth has been trivialized and made subjective, as in “my truth” and “your truth.” Both of those trends carry the stench of hell. All of that will certainly be straightened out in the Last Judgment! Until then, we have to stand firm in God’s truth, in the definition of love and in everything else. Jesus said plainly that the devil is “a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) The same John who recorded those words is the one who wrote this letter, so it’s no surprise that he’s focused on truth! We sometimes run into the semantic problem of facts versus truth. Facts are totally objective and provable, but truth runs deeper than that. We can’t “prove” that God is love, for example, but that doesn’t change the reality that it is ultimately and eternally true. People in rebellion against God search the Bible for things that might violate facts, and everything they see as suspicious they hold up as “proof” against the truth that is proclaimed throughout the Bible. That’s not only logically absurd, it shows up their abject moral and spiritual poverty. The irony is that modern archaeology continues to validate the historicity of the Bible, and of course, it is far more than just a history book. Jesus Christ Himself is the ultimate definition of truth, as He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) If you genuinely love Jesus, you will love God’s truth in its entirety, and that is glorious.

I was raised by a father who held absolute honesty as one of his guiding principles, and I am very grateful. That has given me a sensitivity toward truth, which has blended with a deep love for Jesus. I was just five years old when I proclaimed to my mother, “Mommy, I really, really love you, but I don’t love you nearly as much as I love Jesus.” (That was recorded in my parents’ Christmas newsletter that year.) I wish I could say that I’ve lived in perfect alignment with that love all these years since, but that would be a violation of both facts and truth! However, that love has grown over the years, and it now motivates me to desire that the knowledge of Christ extend as far as possible and as deep as possible, especially in this nation of Japan but also across the world. It makes the Lord’s Prayer the cry of my heart, because God’s will, His kingdom, is totally infused with His truth, so praying that prayer is to pray that all falsehood be totally vanquished. I am to be an agent of God’s truth and love in every area of my life. I don’t do it perfectly, but that is my goal.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for getting us through the day yesterday. The stresses of decorating the church building for Christmas really brought out some of my immaturities! I pray that there wouldn’t be lasting scars in any of the people with whom I interacted, but that we would all continue to grow as You intend, drawing many more into Your kingdom for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!