Separating real from fake
“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be.”
~ Jeremiah 17:9-10 (MSG)
Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. ~ 1 John 3:19-20 (NLT)
KEY THOUGHT:
God alone can separate what is real from what is fake -- even at the deepest levels.
PRAYER:
God, I feel better knowing that you understand what no one else can. It's a bit scary, though, because there are dark parts of me that even I don't grok. Help me to trust in your understanding and your fairness. I'm going to lean on you -- and hope that my faith in you will cause a realignment of my actions to be consistent with yours -- not out of fear but gratitude. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
