“I am the way and the truth and the life.” — John 14:6 It is sometimes hard to face the truth, especially when the truth is that we have messed up. Instead we make excuses. We think we are exceptional: “I didn’t really mean it that way.” “I thought it would be OK if . . .” And so on. But the truth is the truth. And Jesus is the Truth. The worst thing we can do is to ignore or deny this absolute and final Truth—that Jesus is the one and only Son of God who saves sinners. Though the truth about God’s nature and presence is clear to all, people tend to suppress it (Romans 1:18-20). We are all guilty of doing this. When we recognize the truth, we don’t like what we see. So we think it isn’t true for us, or that it doesn’t matter. But the truth does matter. Lying to ourselves matters, and it matters most if we lie to ourselves about God. Today we live in a media storm of falsehoods. Many, many voices today lie or bend the truth to suit their own views or preferences. But beyond all the deceptions in this world, the final authority is God in Jesus—the Truth himself. Believe what he says, and believe that he died and rose again so that you may have life everlasting. Dear Jesus, forgive us for our lies. We lie to try to prove we are right. We lie to try to make ourselves look good. Forgive us especially if we lie about who you are and what you have done. Amen.