Why Truth Is Worth Loving
Month 5: What About Other Religions? · Heart Matters
Today's Scripture
Read together: 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
9 The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10 and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11 For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, 12 in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.
Memory Verse
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.”— 1 John 4:1 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Judges 5-8
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 145 of 365 — God uses Gideon and just 300 men to show that the victory belongs to Him.)The Heart of It
This passage says something that should make us stop and think. Paul warns that some people perish "because they did not receive the love of the truth" (). Did you catch that? He doesn't only say they missed the truth. He says they didn't love it. There's a big difference. You can know a thing is true. It's another thing to treasure it, to want it, to welcome it into your heart. You can hear the truth about Jesus and still push it away. Maybe you'd rather believe something easier. Maybe you'd rather believe something that makes you feel good. God is patient. So He lets people have what they keep choosing. That's a sad and serious thing.
So here's the heart of it. It isn't enough to be smart about the truth. We need to love it. Why is truth worth loving? Because truth is how we stay close to God. God is truth. A lie always promises something. It promises more fun, or more freedom, or "you do you." But a lie can't keep its promise, because it isn't real. Truth might cost us something at first. It might mean admitting we're wrong. It might mean standing out from our friends. But truth leads us home. Loving truth means we'd rather have what's real than what's just comfortable. And the most real thing in the whole universe is this: Jesus loves us, and He gave Himself for us. That kind of truth isn't a heavy thing to carry. It's a treasure to hug.
Around the Table
Truth is like a strong, safe path home. A lie might sound fun. But the truth is the one that really loves us and keeps us safe.
Let's do it: Tape a "truth path" on the floor and walk it. Step off it for the "fun lie" and pretend to get lost. Then jump back on, cheering!
Some people don't just miss the truth. They choose not to love it, because a lie feels easier. We can decide right now that we'll love what's real.
Let's talk: When is telling or believing the truth hard? And why is it worth it anyway?
Paul ties not loving truth to being fooled. Our hearts steer our heads more than we like to admit. We often believe what we want to be true.
Let's go deeper: What's a popular idea today that mostly appeals because it lets people do whatever they want? And how do you love both the truth and the person who believes the lie?
💬 Conversation Starter
Would you rather hear a kind lie or a hard truth from a friend? Why?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Truth isn't whatever we feel. Truth is what matches the way things really are. And it stays true even when it's unpopular. So we hold it firmly and gently. We don't want people just to lose an argument. We want them to be rescued ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
This passage exposes something modern apologetics often misses. People don't reject Christ only because they lack evidence. Often they reject Him because they lack desire. "They did not receive the love of the truth." That means our homes must form more than sharp minds. They must form hungry hearts that delight in what is real. Watch your own example here. Do your kids see you loving truth even when it costs you? Do they see you admit fault, change your mind when Scripture corrects you, and refuse a convenient half-truth? A father who treasures truth out loud teaches his children a beautiful lesson. Following Jesus is not grim duty. It is glad allegiance to the most beautiful reality there is.
Draws on: Tony Evans, Raising Kingdom Kids.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, You are truth, and You are good. Give us hearts that love what is true, even when it is hard. Keep us from believing lies just because they are easy. And help us love the people who haven't found You yet. In Jesus' name, amen."
I don't just want to know the truth. I want to love it, because it leads me home to Jesus.