Opinion Or Truth
Don’t let your life speak louder than the truth.
Voices. They are all around us. People try to tell us their opinion, we read articles that present a certain viewpoint, we hear the news filling us with their thoughts, we have our own opinions, and sometimes our minds get bombarded with all of it! But…whose opinion matters the most, who is right and what is the truth??
If you’ve noticed there is no shortage of opinions out there. The Internet is a sea of information…it can be almost overwhelming; and it can be confusing. The definition of an opinion is, “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”
Soooo…it’s not opinions we need, it’s truth. Truth is defined as, “the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual, a proven or a verified principle or statement, fact. The truth should be what influences us not anyone’s opinion. Not Politicians, not Hollywood, not the Liberals or the Conservatives.
What is truth then? Jesus prayed for us in John 17:17, “Make them holy by Your truth, teach them Your word, which is Truth. ”God’s word is truth. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the word was God. Verse 14 then states, “and the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
God’s word became flesh in the man Jesus…He is truth personified. Mans opinions are not always based on fact or even knowledge; but God’s word is. This must be our basis of belief. Opinions are like quicksand and truth is concrete plain and simple.
Have you ever heard someone talking about a subject and hear him or her say, “well THEY say…” Well who are “they” and why do “they” get to dictate what I should believe or what is true? There are one million and one different opinions about one million and one different things but none of them should sway me, dictate to me, or persuade me if they are not based on truth.
Our lives can scream loud in our ears what we should or should not do about all of the things we face. Everyone’s ideas about what is the best course of action to be taken can weigh heavy on us. Stress can cause us to make hasty, unwise and unbiblical decisions. Proverbs 19:2 says, “Desire without knowledge is not good, how much more will hasty feet miss the way." We must slow our roll and ask God what He has to say about it all.
Society today is screaming loudly about many things, trying to give us it’s opinion and to try and persuade us to believe it. It’s easy to let ourselves be swept along the current of popular opinion. We find ourselves in a crisis of truth.
Standing for truth today will cost you. It may cost you reputation, friends or sometimes family. While Jesus has called us to love everyone, that love doesn’t mean we have to agree with everyone. We can learn to disagree agreeably. We must learn to stand on truth, have our own biblical opinions as believers and also lovingly disagree with others who are choosing to believe their opinion over the truth.
I refuse to be persuaded against the truth I know in God’s word. I also will not argue or disrespect anyone for his or her own opinion or beliefs. Christians have been known for being judgmental. We are not called to judge but to love. Love covers a multitude of sins. Our loving attitude will bring down walls, anger and division much quicker than our judgment.
God is fully equipped and able to change a person’s heart. It’s His job not mine. While popular opinion may sway with the current wind, God’s truth does not change. It can be relied on. It can be trusted. It’s the TRUTH that will ultimately set us free….