• Scripture: Matthew 5:17,18; 24:35; John 10:34,35; I Peter 1:25; Mark 15:28; Luke 4:21; John 13:18; 17:12; 19:24; Galatians 3:22; 2 Timothy 3:16; James 2:23; Revelation 22:18,19; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15: 12-19; Luke 21:16,17; John 16:2

Do you believe everything you read, see or hear? Have you ever stopped to calculate how many half truths you encounter each day?

Take for example the media frenzy that occurred regarding the horrific incident at Virginia Tech on April 16. Newscasters flew in from around the globe. Even before the facts were confirmed, every media outlet seemed to want to be the first to air threads of the gruesome story as it began to unravel. Was it to keep the universe informed or to increase ratings?

What about advertisements that you read in magazines, newspapers or see on television? Is there really a cream that can make anyone look younger?

What about the full-page ad in large letters that reads “No Down Payment, No Interest until 2010, and No Minimum Purchase”. At the very bottom of the page in print the size only someone with better than 20/20 vision can read, the real picture emerges:

“Only those with good credit need apply Equal monthly payments must be made during the promotional period

Finance charges with a default penalty of 23.99 APQ will apply

Offer valid this week only or while supplies last

The photo on this page is for illustration purposes only!”
 

Then there is the card you receive in the mail that gives you 24 hours to call a toll-free number to claim the vacation package or a car that you have won. If you do call you find that you first have to take a tour of the time-share and then sit through a day of pressure-filled presentations trying to get you to purchase property.

Applications for various credit cards offer you 5 or more months’ interest free. There is a catch of course. If you don’t mark the date you applied for the card on your calendar, cancel or pay your balance in full, you are charged interest thereafter on any unpaid balance.

Computerized photo manipulation, web hoaxes, bogus forwards—all are easy to fall prey to especially when such e-mails are from a friend or family member. At the end of the message something like “If you don’t forward this to 5-10 friends such and such will happen to you.”

How often have you received or forwarded the one entitled “Hercules, the world’s biggest dog” or “Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do”? According to the website that maintains a listing of hoaxes and urban legends, Hercules and what your cell phone is suppose to be able to do are among the 25 hottest half truths being widely circulated through forwarding over the Internet right now . 1, 2

Thankfully, we aren’t bothered by partial truths when we read our Bible. Our Bible study this week explains the number of ways the Bible has been evaluated for authenticity and reliability. It has been scrutinized by scholars from every angle and has stood the test of time. We have the assurance that the principles in God’s Word are reliable—not half truths. It’s a book we can depend on to know God’s will for our lives. ~ck

1 www.Snopes.com

2. Check the source of any web page you are not certain about by typing its domain name into the search box at www.speedywhois.com.
 

Paul Richardson, Director