So there I was, at a new restaurant, trying to decipher the menu. Too many choices, lots of options shouting for attention from the shiny, colorful menu. The server had rattled off the specials, and when she reappeared, I asked her to repeat them. She did a fine job of selling me on one of the options with excited words describing what they had created, and she closed the deal and off she went to get my food.

She was right. It was the perfect lunch for that day.

And why? Because she knew the truth about what the kitchen was offering, and she knew it was right and good. Because she and her mom had created it.

Life is like that. Many voices vie for our attention, everybody is trying to sell us on the thing they are pushing – just walk on a car lot. Or open Facebook – whatever you last thought about is now for sale in your newsfeed. Look up something on Google – you may get your answer, or something like it, maybe the answer “they” want you to have.

So which voice do you heed? How to sort out the vast array of info on tap?

Jesus was brought before Pilate, who asked him – “What is truth?” John 18:38

Pilate didn’t wait for the answer, but if he had the ability to rewind just a few months, he would have known this about the man he had before him:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:7

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31

You see, Jesus had the truth, and the truth was contained in His words. He spoke for His Father, the ultimate authority, and His words contained life. And He knew they had power, life changing power, and His words showed truth that leads to a new life.

Many, like the Apostle Paul who came after Him, became the true bearers of the truth and stuck to the words of God. Paul wrote a large part of the New Testament, and established most of the early church, yet he had this to say about God’s word:

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:1,2

There is power in words, and if the words are from God there is serious power, the power to change lives and to save souls. The Word is able to pierce your soul, leaving you exposed to the healing touch of a God who loves you.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13

All those voices trying to get your attention, trying to close your deal, are all trained in technique and sales pitches. They are using the wisdom of man, preying on your vulnerable soul, to get you onboard their product, service, or scheme. But the Apostle Paul had another idea – stick to the divine script:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

The nice lady at the restaurant wasn’t trying to con me or sell me a bill of goods. She was trying to tell me the truth on what her kitchen had to offer, to steer me towards the right choice.

And Jesus wants the same for you. He is offering truth, verified by His words which are readily available to all. He isn’t trying to close you like some guy in a cheap suit extolling the features of a shiny new car, He is offering you the chance to know the truth, and that truth will set you free.

Word.