Alex on #Lies

Let's say that you and I are sitting in Math class. We're working on a group project together, in which we have to figure some calculations and create a graph or chart based on our findings. We decide that you should be in charge of subtracting and I'll be in charge of adding. So, we're trying to decipher this complicated Math work.
Your page says 1004-3=. You carefully subtract each digit until you get your answer. "974!" You exclaim. I nod, then I say, "My problem is 99+2. I think the answer is 992." We both think both answers are correct.
Then we begin to draw our graph. As we are coloring the graph, one of our friends walks over to our desks. He looks at our graph for a minute, then shakes his head. "You guys are all wrong. 1004-3 is 1001. And 99+2 is 101. I used my calculator."
In disbelief, we look at him and shake our heads. "No, I don't think so," I say.
"Yeah," You tell our friend. "We worked very hard to figure out what the right answers are. We determined these answers for ourselves; we think they're right."
"Anyway," I say, crossing my arms, "You can't tell us what's right. Who are you to judge our answers?"
...
The sketch above doesn't make any sense, does it? I mean, we all know that if you subtract 3 from 1004, you'll get 1001. It's a proven fact.
But there are many people who would say that many proven facts just aren't facts.
Look again at the sketch, where the friend enters. The friend is speaking truth into the two characters' lives. He has used his calculator to determine the correct answers. Then he's sharing this truth with his friends. But look at what the friends say. One says, "We determined these answers for ourselves; we think they're right." The other says, "You can't tell us what's right. Who are you to judge our answers?"
These two statements seem to be a common consensus now days. It supposedly demonstrates your independence and strength if you can "determine truth for yourself."
Have you considered that the friend knew more about the answers than the other characters? He used a calculator! In life, we often ignore or fight with people who try to speak truth, especially our parents and pastors. But why? I mean, people who have lived our circumstances before as well as people who have studied Truth definitely know more about the answers than we do.

The next time you hear competing truth claims (although they'll probably be less obvious than the answers to our Math problems), realize that they cannot all be right. Consider what those who have studied God's word say. And determine truth based on what's Godly, not what feels good or seems good.

Alex W / Message Writer