Matthew 5:1-2 (NIV): Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them…
God teaches those who intentionally come to Him to learn. The crowds came to Jesus for healing; He longed to teach them about the kingdom of God. They came to Him for release from bondage to demons; He wanted to share with them the true freedom that comes from living in the light. Their whole focus was their worldly existence; His whole focus was eternity. Some did come to Him apart from the crowds to learn the truths of the kingdom, and those who came, He taught.
It’s the same today. Modern man has so much information streaming at him all the time, that it is very easy to feel overwhelmed and overloaded. In order to find rest, we seek refuge in distractions and entertainment, trying to give our brains a little space to sort through all of the data to see if there is any truth there. But nearly all of the information that the world provides is slanted and distorted. The vast majority is information with an agenda; the truth with a twist – all designed to manipulate our thinking, our opinions, and our buying habits.
But when we come to God, we will get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – and we will get it straight! God teaches His people the REAL truth, because He IS the truth. Of course God’s truth is often at odds with the “nuanced information” (read “distortions of the truth”) that the world provides, and the directness with which He communicates through His word often makes people uncomfortable. But it will always be the absolute truth, complete and unvarnished, and ready to confront and restore lost and broken hearts and souls. Those of us who come to the Lord, apart from the noise of the crowds, and with no agenda other than to learn from Him, He will teach. And all that He teaches us is the truth.
Father, thank You for being a source of truth that we can always depend on – a pure spring of truth that is always clear and cool and refreshing, in the midst of the tainted, carbonated, artificially colored and flavored “truth” that the world dishes out. Help me to always seek Your truth only. Amen!