River of Truth

A few years ago I had the privilege of listening to a farewell sermon preached by the previous pastor of my church here in Lynden. He was retiring after a lengthy time in the ministry, with a fair part of it being at Lynden PRC. For his farewell, he preached on the following text from Philippians:

“Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” - Philippians 4:1 KJV

His final exhortation to a congregation he had served for thirteen-some years was to stand fast in the truth. I thought about how significant this encouragement really was. It was the last thing he wanted to say after all these years of being a minister. It must have been so important, as he chose it from out of all the wisdom found in Scripture to be the center of his final sermon. Then I realized how all-encompassing a topic it really was - by encouraging us to stand fast in the truth, he was encouraging us to follow all of Scripture, all of God’s commands and precepts! God is truth. His Word is truth. In a world where absolute truth is a concept that is laughed at and forsaken, the Scriptures shine forth brightly to God’s children as the only real, absolute, true thing to hold onto. He is the way, the truth, and the light! Whoever follows Him and follows His truth will have life to the fullest, life everlasting!

We cannot merely exist with the truth held lightly in our hands. We cannot skim over it with unseeing eyes and put it away on a shelf as merely some interesting literature that piques our interest from time to time. We cannot take this light and hide it under a bush. No, we need to let it consume our soul. It must ignite our every passion, every word, every thought, every action. We must live it and breathe it, cling to it. We must return to it again and again like we would approach a fire’s warmth to escape the darkness and the cold. And then we must fill ourselves with it and carry it absolutely everywhere we go. We must stand fast in His truth, knowing what is true and right, and never, ever relinquish it, no matter the cost. To add some visualization to this concept of standing fast, I’ll use a quote I came across from an old comic book hero that really stayed with me:

“Doesn’t matter what the press says. Doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tells you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree next to the river of truth, and tell the whole world, “No. YOU move.”

Although this hero is not referring to spiritual truth specifically, the quote really drives home an important point: absolute truth is not popular.

When you follow the absolute truth of God, it will never cause you to be part of the majority. It will never cause you to be popular within society. It will cause opposition. Every man on this earth knows in his heart what is right and what is wrong, whether or not he admits it to himself. And many men detest the truths of God. Following His truth may cause you to sacrifice certain things: relationships, friendships, a ‘reputation’ within society, possessions, job opportunities, an earthly type of happiness or comfort, and the list could continue on. Insert yet another wise quote from my dad: “Most of the time God gives us happiness when we are faithful and follow the path He laid out for us. But not always.”

Sometimes the pathway that follows His truth is a rocky one. Sometimes it leads you into the shadows, into a depth that, at first, stops you in your tracks. You hesitate before that looming, shadowy expanse. You squint your eyes and lean as far forward as you can without taking a step, because you can’t quite see around it or through it, and how much easier is it to trust your own eyes rather than what He says is true? Sometimes the way of truth and faithfulness that He sends you on leads right down through the valley of the shadow of death. But don’t forget, because you’re following His truth with a faithful heart, He doesn’t send you down there alone.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 KJV

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Pslam 23:6 KJV

That is where the path of truth will lead you: always to the dwelling place of the Lord. The things you sacrifice along the way and the struggles that you go through will one day seem so small in comparison to the huge love, goodness, mercy, grace, and eternal joy that you will obtain on glory’s side. It doesn’t matter the struggle, or the popular opinion, or if everyone around you is trying to convince you that something wrong is something right, or that it’s okay to compromise and be ‘a little less right’. Your only job is to stand fast, to stand stronger and firmer than an aged oak tree, digging your roots deeper down into the spiritually rich soil near His river of Truth and drinking of the Water of Life as you stretch your limbs toward Heaven, toward the warmth of His Light. In doing so you will flourish, and vibrantly. We cannot forget the promises in the beginning of Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” Psalm 23: 1-3

The paths of truth and righteousness are undoubtedly difficult at times. Yet we walk them for His name’s sake, with His guiding hand shepherding us along gently and lovingly. He restores our very souls beside the still waters of His truth, where the grass grows vibrantly green and our roots soak up water that will give us eternal life and will never leave us thirsty.

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“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14 KJV

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 KJV

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 22:1 KJV