“Most of the damage done in this world is done not because of evil but because of ignorance.”
Those words caused me to sit taller in my chair and chew on my bottom lip. Ignorance?
The pastor wiped his brow and adjusted his glasses. I was seventeen years old and at a pivotal point in my life. If evil isn’t totally responsible for all the bad, then who is?
John 8:32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Christ tells us that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free, the key is where we find the truth. Many do not take the time to actually study the Bible. At seventeen, I was one of them. I soaked up what my youth pastor said or my Sunday school teacher taught. I listened to my grandmother, my dad, and my mom. I heard what my friends thought, what their parents taught them. I went to various youth rallies and listened to other pastors – ALL GOOD – but what about reading the Truth for myself?
In Romans 12:2, Paul explains to us that our lives can be actually transformed by our minds being renewed. The problem is many Christians are lazy. They don’t believe they have the time to actually study the Word of God. It’s much easier to read someone’s book or listen to someone else, and in so doing, there isn’t a firm grasp in the heart of that particular person to withstand what evil does do in this world.
However, on the day of Judgment, we alone are accountable for what we believe. We alone are accountable for the Truth.
Today I challenge you to begin reading John. If you are not an avid reader of the Bible, it is a great place to start. Learn what Jesus actually says and ask God to speak into your heart His Truth.
