The large brass pendulum swings quietly back and forth. The gentle ticking has become such welcome background noise to my quiet time. Three brass weights, drawn by gravity, pull the many gears inside the clockwork and indicate once again the right time.

Recently, I made a big mistake. I was in a hurry and pulled those weights up too fast. One of them hit the pendulum and knocked it out of the hinge. It came down with a crash. When I tried to hang it back up, I noticed that I bent the large screw, which runs all the way through the pendulum. That screw is vital in the time-telling process, for it holds at its end a small nut. Turning that nut to the left or right makes the clock faster or slower. I had to open the pendulum, remove the nut, and bend the screw back. When I put it all back together, I had no idea where I should place the nut. I took a vague guess.

Ever since then I have been adjusting the time by turning the nut. In the beginning, I turned the nut hard – time was off so much. However, by careful watching and adjusting, the clock is again telling the right time.

Time is something outside of my clock. My clock only reflects it, rightly or wrongly. When I adjusted the time, I needed a reliable clock to give me the right time. Like with time, so it is with truth. It resides apart from our own understanding. I need something other than flawed instruments to tell me what truth is.

God is Truth and what He says is true. His Word is our guide for Truth. The Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ came to the world as the Truth. The Bible also tells us that Christ came as the Word made flesh, God’s Word, His Truth. We can trust Christ’s example and His words as indicator of truth. He can adjust our lives, which are flawed instruments of truths.

“God help us to go to Your Word. Help us to employ Christ’s example.
Help us to see our sinfulness and flawed way of thinking.
We give you access to our lives. Adjust as You see fit.”

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)