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Listen while you read: "Beneath The Cross Of Jesus"1
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Proverbs 12:17,19,22 – He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit. The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight. (NKJV)
During the occupation of the Netherlands from 1940-1945, a lot of people listened to Radio Orange, a Dutch radio program aired by the BBC European Service on behalf of the Dutch Government in exile in London. The programs were typically 15 minutes long. My parents always listened, as did many people in the Netherlands. It was the only way to get the truth as to what was going on in the war.
On May 13, 1943, all radios were confiscated by the occupying forces, but Dad did not turn in his radio. We had a big workshop at the back of our property, and that is where he hid the radio. In the evening, he would go and listen to the broadcast from London. If he had been caught, he would have been killed. One person in our area was betrayed by a neighbour, was taken away, and was never seen or heard from again.
During that time, false information was told by the occupiers to make things look better than they actually were. The same thing is happening now — in Russia — so we are told. We certainly believe that what we are told here is the truth, for we can see every day on television the atrocities being inflicted on the people of Ukraine. Yet, apparently, the people in Russia are being told a completely different story: false propaganda and lies.
This is nothing new. The same thing happened when Jesus was taken for trial to Pilate by those who despised Him:
Luke 23:2-5 – And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered him and said, "It is as you say." So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man." But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place." (NKJV)
Pilate openly declared that he could find no fault in Jesus, as much as admitting that he believed Jesus to be telling the truth and the chief priests to be lying. We know that Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, and all the lies told by the authorities could not change that.
Because of lies and false accusations, Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world, and was buried, but arose from the grave on the third day and ascended into heaven, where He rules with God the Father. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Truth, and we can count on the Truth to prevail!
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, there are times when we witness the telling of lies, and we pray that You will give us the ability to discern what is true and what is not. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
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About the author:
Joel Jongkind <austria67@bmts.com>
Meaford, Ontario, Canada
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Thank you.
Thanks for the good word, Joel.
Amen Joel.
Blessings and Happy Easter.
Thanks, Joel. Timely, relevant, and righteous! Grateful to you today.
Amen and amen! Thank you for sharing this devotion with us. Blessings.
Thank you for a great post and prayer, Joel. With media, especially social media, it is often difficult to find the truth. God Bless!
Thanks Joel. So nice you are in such good health again and able to share your inspiring devotionals with us. Take care and stay safe. Blessings.
Thanks for your devotional writing today, Joel. A very good topic to address these days with all the things going on in our world, especially the uncertain and untruthful reports we hear from Russia. Blessings for these special writings you do.
Thank you for your devotion today, Joel,
It is difficult to sort truth from fiction in a media driven world, but we can stand firm on God’s Word, for the Truth himself came that we could see, hear, and know God’s love.
Blessings upon you.
Joel;
Thank you for your Devotional. The one who said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, surely will prevail. May God continue to encourage your heart with enlightenment for His word of Truth. God bless you.
By Grace Alone.
Dear Joel,
This brings back a lot of memories…
As I lived in Normandy during the war, we too had a hidden radio, that I was too young to listen to, but my elder brother was involved in bringing the radio out of hiding and setting it up. We were bombed out just before D-day. A long story.
My father also hid a radio from the German occupiers in Holland at great risk. He was very active in the underground movement for which he received accommodation from both the British and the Americans. The people of Holland suffered bitterly but were brave and steadfast much like the Ukrainian people today. War is a useless, dreadful enterprise so contrary to the way of the Lord.
Joel,
Thanks for your ongoing contributions. Discerning truth from error continues to be a critical discipline for faithful living. Doubtless in some places overt propaganda and media control make such discernment very difficult. I would nonetheless quibble at the implication that this is an issue [only] in places like Russia. Our media and leaders also provide a ‘tailored take’ on what is [or isn’t] happening.
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Good morning, Joel,
I feel this war is very close to you since you lived through the Second World War and understand more than I do about war. I struggle with the people living in Russia who won’t even believe what their friends/relatives in Ukrainian are telling them and it has driven many families apart.
I do know that media is powerful and that we need to listen to trustworthy media, but it is scary.
I have thought about if I lived when Jesus was alive, would I have thought he was our Saviour. I don’t know the answer to that question.
I appreciate your thoughts and the good Bible passages as we pray for discernment. May you feel the JOY of Easter. Blessings.
Thank you so much for this devotional. It also makes me think about “Truth”.
As far as my dad’s version of “truth” went, the “Allies” were all good and the “Axis” were all bad.
As I grew up and learned a lot more about what went on, I realized that bad things were done by both.
(My dad had not turned our radio in, and I saw him put it back under the living room floorboards. He turned it in then as I was only 11 and he could not guarantee that I would not say anything, even maybe to my siblings.)
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