Truth Is Easily Transferable

   We are surrounded by truth. We are also surrounded by half-truths, myths, and outright lies, but I tend to worry less and less about those the more I grow in faith and the greater my confidence in Christ becomes. 
   I once listened to Rob Bell, a pastor in Michigan, go into great detail about how Christians are to deal with truth. Bell bases his teaching on John 14:6, where Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If Jesus is the truth, then can we dare to believe the converse is true also; that anywhere we find truth, Jesus is there. This is bold. 
   What do we do with the truths that surround us? Do we collect them? Apply them? Pass them on? Which raises another question: Can we pass them on? Or is the truth I hear today limited by the specific and narrow context (time and place and circumstances) where I encountered it? Can 'church truth' make a difference at work?  I think truth is translatable. Truth is not limited to one place.
   Think about what you learned early on about manners, sharing, rest, nutrition, or the joy of playing. Most of that came in Kindergarten. Yet, those truths are still true today. How can that be, except that truth is transferable. 
   This pushes me to think, "In what ways do I need to transfer the truth I am learning in worship, in my Sunday School, and in my personal devotions to further areas of my life?"
   I think I saw an example of truth being transferable earlier this week as I was catching up on some reading. INC. magazine published a brief article by Geoffrey James called, "5 Toxic Beliefs That Ruin Careers." I think it has truths that extend to our everyday lives, too. I offer his list, with large sections omitted for space. You can read the entire article online. He begins: "The Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament is, in my opinion, one of the best business books ever published.  One passage, in particular, contains a world of business wisdom: "As a man believes so is he." (Proverbs 23:7). I've observed that there are five other beliefs that consistently make people less successful. Make sure you don't subscribe to any of these:
1. My self-worth is based on what others think of me. 
2. My past equals my future. 
3. My destiny is controlled by the supernatural. 
4. My emotions accurately reflect objective reality. 
5. My goal is to be perfect or do something perfectly. 
   I take exception with some of that third statement. James goes on to say he is talking about fate, luck, and divine intervention which "robs such people of initiative, making them passive as they wait for their 'luck' to change." I agree that too much emphasis on the first two (fate and luck) can be harmful, but I think we should pray without ceasing for divine intervention into our lives! We believe in the supernatural, but also believe that God has given us freedom and power to choose. 
   May God, who is truth, see us take truth and run with it for His glory. Grace and Peace, Scott