Likes Makes Right!

Today, I touch on an idea that’s about as old as communication itself. The heart of this matter was epitomized two thousand years ago when Pontius Pilate asked of a condemned Christ, “What is truth?”

With today’s global onslaught of; news media, watchdog sites, left wing this and right wing that, as well as political info-war propaganda sites, our days have become so bombarded…or rather, completely “inundated” with information.
How do we determine if this information is right? How do we differentiate truth from lies? Even when it can be verified that a piece of data is true, many platforms take 'facts' and proceed to distort and twist them out of context. And let’s not forget the ‘sound bites’ or MEMES that go ‘viral’ immediately with the push of public sway.
Who’s at fault? How often, before clicking “Thumbs-up”, “Like” or other supportive emoticons do we ever question or spend any time validating a statement? How many people in the crowd chanting "Crucify Him" do you suppose really understood what they were a part of? Many probably just heard the statement "He said he was God."... and knowing neither the truth nor context, simply jumped right in.

The pursuit of truth is of utmost importance and seeking to validate information is an invaluably noble effort.

Here’s The Word;

Acts 17: 11 These (Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

From the response of those at Thessalonica, it was obviously as easy then as it is now to simply take someone’s word as ‘gospel’. And it does seem apropos that we’re talking about the preaching of the Apostle Paul. I mean you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’s words were more trustworthy, but the Bereans didn’t settle for personality, prominence or popularity; they sought the source.
Remember, even in that day, there were many who sought to persuade people into many variations of belief and sadly, all of this points to the reality of a devil who loses nothing in spending everyday, taking advantage of every opportunity to lure anybody further from the truth...and he's tenaciously patient: A 'little by little' progressing compromise is better than an immediate failing of faith since there really is no regrettable guilt associated.

Here’s The Word:

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

This may be hard to hear, not because we resist or are made ashamed, but we see "lies" so often, the idea simply doesn't fit into our definition of abhorrent 'devilishness'. You see when it comes to information, it goes much deeper than we think. It may seem superficial at the onset, but can become a deeply spiritual matter in the blink of an eye. We first have to genuinely care more about truth than we do any other agenda. Whether we believe these ideas benefit us personally or tug at our heartstrings for whatever reason; we must not quickly follow after things we haven’t validated as true. Popular outcry has become very adept at preaching varying messages of solidarity that sway the masses.

It’s no secret: trying to validate truth in all of the things that come our way on a daily basis is daunting, to say the least. But to assume that the truth rises and falls on our ability to discover it down to its foundations would be a false assumption.

Here’s The Word;

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Another unfathomable benefit of belonging to Christ, is the gift of The Spirit. The Spirit not only guides us, He solidifies and promotes those things that are of ‘more’ importance. If you can't use the spirit of truth to establish priority and to validate what's right, you're forced to use something lesser; your feelings, your trust in someone else's ideas, or even public approval....and as beautiful a thing as UNITY is, a bunch of people can indeed be wrong and far from the purposes of God, altogether. "Likes" never makes right.


In Him,
Cros