Henry G. Bosch reflected on a childhood memory of his father:

As a schoolboy, I worked with my father during the summer months.  Each morning we stopped to pick up the early edition of the newspaper at a small grocery store.

One morning when we got to work, my father found that by mistake he had taken two newspapers instead of one.  He first thought of paying the man the extra price the next morning, but then after a moment’s consideration he said, “I had better go back with this paper.  I don’t want the man at the store to think I’m dishonest.”  He got in his car, drove back to the store, and returned the paper.

About a week later, someone stole money from the grocery store.  When police pinpointed the time it occurred, the grocer remembered only two people being in the store at the time — and one was my father.  The grocer immediately dismissed my father as a suspect, saying, “That man is really honest.  He came all the way back here just to return a newspaper he took by mistake.”  The police then focused their investigation on the other man, who soon made a full confession.  My father’s honesty made a big impression on that non-Christian storeowner, and on me. *

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4 NIV).  The inspired writer was speaking of his children “in the faith” – those whom he had taught the Word of God.  It brought him great joy to hear that those he had taught were continuing to live by the truths that he had taught them.  This verse also reveals the greatest joy of all Christian parents.

It is reported that Abraham Lincoln said, “For a man to train up a child in the way he/she should go, he must walk that way himself.”

The Truth is: we have all made serious mistakes.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NKJV).

The Truth is: God loves us so much that He wants to save us from our sins.  He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price for our redemption.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 NKJV).

The Truth is: We must humble ourselves and submit our lives to Jesus in order to receive His gifts of salvation and eternal life.  God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

The Truth is: God will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

The Truth is: If we want others to walk in the Truth, we must seek to do the same.  That includes acknowledging our failures when we fall short and genuinely turning from our sins and seeking to conform our lives to the Truth.

If we want others to walk in the way of Truth, we must seek to walk that way.  Obey the Truth, live the Truth, and model the Truth before others.  Only then can we invite others to “walk this way.”

-- David A. Sargent

* Source: Our Daily Bread, Henry G. Bosch, April, 15, 1998, as quoted in www.ministry127.com

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David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org