May 24, 2023

Earlier this week a photo of an explosion at the Pentagon started a panic and even rattled the stock market exchanges. Then it was revealed that the photo was fake and was likely created by AI. Social media gives every smart phone owner an on-ramp to be a reporter to the world and with it, the ability to edit and display things that may or may not be accurate. It used to be that we understood certain news sources leaned left, others leaned right, and we took that into consideration. But, now, we hear things, or even see things and we just don’t know what to believe. There are so many conspiracy theories that are being floated, so many claims to exposing the truth, so many authorities who announce that they are the only ones who really know the truth, that we just don’t know who to trust. We have all been played and we hate it. We have all believed something only to find out that we were deceived and we resent it deeply. For those who tend to be suspicious anyway, it can be maddening. How do we know that those who are exposing the lies aren’t themselves lying?

This past Sunday morning, I mentioned in passing that one of the reasons we have so much confidence in the Bible is the fact that the Scriptures are honest about the successes and failures of the people in her stories. If the Bible does not cover-up the hard stuff, then we can trust the good stuff. If the Bible is willing to expose the weaknesses, then we can trust the promises.

I am selective with my news sources, but that does not mean that I am always getting the entire story. However, I know that when I open my Bible, I am getting truth, even if it is hard to read. God does not shy away from giving us all that we need. He really is that good!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: 2 Samuel 11:6-13