Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Tuesday, March 31, Galatians 1:20

"Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not."

One of the most common words in the New Testament was "truth". It is one of the qualities, or should be, for every practicing follower of Christ. It is one of the virtues of Philippians 4:8: "whatsoever things are true". Lying is considered a sin, and if one continues in it habitually, he should examine himself to see whether he is truly of the faith:

"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" (Colossians 3:9-10)

This is part of the image of Christ, who "is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11b). We find that it is a sign of Christian maturity, and part of the image of Christ:

"that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" (Ephesians 4:14-15)

Jesus proclaimed that He was the Way, Truth, and Life. And in the same breath He claimed that no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

John, in his letters emphasized walking in "the truth". Here is the opening of the little letter we call 2 John: "The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever" (1-2).

Also, in 1 John, he writes: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).

The apostles, who were given the miraculous gift to write the words that Jesus taught them, were meticulous in speaking the truth. And every one of their letters emphasizes that point. Believe it or not, speaking the truth is a habit that needs to be developed in a believer as they grow in sanctification. In our dead natures, we habitually lied, not only to others, but to ourselves. It is a sign of rebellion against God:

"who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (Romans 1:25)

And Christ set us free from our old nature, equipping us with a new one that has the power to live in Him. We actually can speak the truth in love, but we also cling to old habits of that old man and need to break them, like it says in Colossians above.

That is the sanctification process. It says that you "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12). And, as my Bible teachers say, the sanctification process is measured in decades, not days.

So, struggling to speak truly all the time is a life-long process. And if we are burdened with guilt when we fail, we see this passage following the 1 John 3:18 passage:

"And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God." (1 John 3:19-21)

If you are a habitual liar, thinking only of your own self-centered ways, as I said above, you really need to see if you are born again. But if you fail, make mistakes and repent sincerely because you feel you've displeased your heavenly Father, you are simply a child in the process of maturity. Don't let the devil bury you with guilt, for we, while on earth, will surely fail at times. Those who think that they will be perfect on earth are in for a rude awakening:

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 John 1:8-10).

And He, brothers and sisters, is no liar.

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

*KJV used*

Memory Helps

"Now the THINGS
WHICH I WRITE unto YOU,
BE-hold, BE-fore GOD,
I LIE not."

(Words per line: 3-5-3-3)

I love these little verses. We'll have some really long ones in chapter 2, so I'm enjoying these small ones while I can! I noticed a series of four "I" words to help me get started: "things which I write", and see "you/God/I" in ending the last three lines to help me focus. And after I comes "lie" which rhymes as well in the last line. And "I write/I lie not". And BE-hold/BE-fore.

So, a quick word picture could be me, acting as the Apostle Paul, raising up "the things which I write unto you" toward heaven's throne (behold, before God), and say "I lie not". I could even "cross my heart" as a symbol of "I lie not".

Linking verse numbers:

Now, it is kind of convenient that my "memory character" is the famous "Nose" Jimmy Durante from time past (N=2, S=0, vowels fillers) because it also reminds me of "Pinocchio" whose nose grew when he lied. So, Mr. Durante, wearing a big bow "Tie" to remind me of chapter 1, takes my place as the apostle and checks his big nose to make sure that it is not growing longer, because he knows that "before God, I lie not". In that way I link Galatians 1:20 to the verse.