Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“No, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their images are empty wind.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, December 12, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Delusions are false beliefs. We are all incessantly bombarded with information from so many quarters it can be a real challenge to discern what is truth and what is falsehood. So much of the information we receive is spun in a specific way to elicit a specific response, giving us messages about who we ought to be, what we ought to wear, who we ought to hang out with, what we ought to drive or eat or use as a smartphone. Some of it is designed to frighten us into staying glued to a specific news outlet or supporting a particular political candidate or condemning an entire group of people who aren’t “like us” in some way. When we fall prey to delusions, we are pulled away from God and neighbor, pulled away from love and compassion. Unlike Isaiah’s admonition that these idols are empty wind, they actually have as much power as we give them—power to separate us from those things that nourish us, that sustain us, and that lead to the flourishing of all creation.
How do we discern the true from the false? How do we suss out the motives of those delivering the information we receive?
I default to the greatest commandment and Micah 6:8—the simplest but also the most potent litmus test for reality. If something I hear or see demonstrates love for God and neighbor, if it is concerned with and comes from a place of justice, kindness, and humility, then it is more likely to be true. If it is couched in fear, evocative of hatred, supporting of oppression of anyone for any reason, the chances are that it’s false. In any case, I don’t discern on my own. I talk about it with reliable, trustworthy, and loving people, and I look for corroborating sources. Hopefully, with God’s help, I can figure out where the idols are lying in wait with their delusions.
How do I discern what is true and false from the deluge of information I experience each day?
