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John 17:17 - Holiness from God's Word.

John 17:17 (CEB) Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:17 (EAV) Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.

INTRODUCTION

A follower of Jesus becomes pure and holy by believing and obeying the Word of God (also see Hebrews 4:12). He or she has already received forgiveness through Jesus' sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26-27). But daily application of God's Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess it, renews our relationship with God, and guides us back to the right path. [Life Application SB 2019]

COMMENTARY PEARL

   As my husband drove through heavy traffic on the interstate, I turned to look at the cars behind us. When I turned back around, the side-view mirror caught my eye. Then I looked at the vehicles behind us again. "Well, I'll be!" I exclaimed. "The objects in this mirror are closer than they appear." Through decades of driving, I'd seen those exact words on the mirror without ever stopping to think about what it meant - that the mirror did not give an accurate view of the traffic behind my car. I shuddered to think how my lack of understanding could've easily caused a wreck.
   Like that side-view mirror, my eyes often don't give an accurate view of what I see around me. My vision can be clouded by many things - preconceived ideas, fear, sinful attitudes, or the enemy. My emotions are changeable and often deceptive, distorting my perception. What the culture presents as truth has often been twisted and molded to fit a particular bias. How can I be sure I'm getting an accurate view of what's going on around me?
   When Jesus referred to God's Word, He didn't use an adjective; He didn't say it was "true." He used a noun, "truth," implying that the Word is the only standard of truth against which everything else must be evaluated. Jesus prayed for the Scriptures to purify His followers, to convict, correct, and guide them.
   We need the lens of the Bible to interpret the circumstances of our life as well as current events. As we study the life-changing truth it contains, we learn to see things from a true perspective. But if we depend on our own limited vision and human understanding, we can easily make a wreck of our lives. by Dianne Neal Matthews
   Faith Step: Ask Jesus to reveal truth to help you see things more clearly. [Mornings With Jesus 2020 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]

COMMENTARY

Fact or Fake - How Do You Tell?
   The world is getting noisier and more confusing by the day. We used to trust our eyes and ears to sort fact from fiction. Not anymore. Far too many voices care less about truth and more about feeding bias, locking in votes, or keeping you scrolling to sell ads. In short, we are being manipulated.
   AI has poured jet fuel on the problem. Seeing is no longer believing. Voices can be cloned to say things their owners never would. Faces and entire videos can be fabricated so convincingly that your senses can't keep up. As the tech improves, the gap between real and fake will shrink until it disappears. Rely only on sight and sound, and deception is inevitable.
   That might seem trivial for memes and movie clips, but the stakes are deadly serious. Elections will sway. Propaganda will surge. Trusted names will appear to endorse things they actually oppose. Confusion will rule.
   So where's the anchor? God has already given it: the Holy Scriptures. Every image, every claim, every headline should be tested against the unchanging truths in His Word. Immerse yourself in those truths now. Then, when the noise rises, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind what you've stored in your heart and help you tell truth from error. Phil Wilhelm, Principal of Fletcher Academy

CLOSING THOUGHT

   Is reading the Bible a necessary part of your day or does it have a low priority in your life? George Mueller, after having read the Bible through one hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement: "I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends often say, "I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.? Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I.
   For more than half a century I have never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For 4 years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands.
   "Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been by care. Besides, I have had charge of five immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful." from Counter Attack, Jay Carty, Multnomah Press, 1988, PP. 155FF

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

John 17:17 - Learning to Listen.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201007-1438.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200914-1517.html

Hebrews 4:12 - Power Greater Than Nuclear.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240529-1122.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/