Today a relentless barrage of words, images, sound bites and slogans politicize every issue and event. Survey data is packaged to bolster whatever opinion is preferred. A media blitz in itself can shape public sentiment without ever having to appeal to facts. This manipulative treatment of information has become such a part of our culture that we have become quite accustomed to it. We are feeding on short, simplistic, pre-digested, emotionally laden, one-stop conclusions.

British journalist, the late Malcolm Muggeridge, once stated that if Jesus was to be subject to a fourth temptation in the wilderness, it might have been 'media coverage'. Without a doubt, the media could draw world-wide attention to such startling events as raising a man who has been dead for four days, provided all the cameras were in place. Muggeridge points out that the downside is that truthful coverage by today's press is nearly impossible. Words taken out of context, special photographic angles to exclude unsightly lepers, and sufficient distortion of His kingdom message to fashion an anti-government crusade, all could have been part of Satan's arsenal to derail the mission of Jesus. Could the truth be known or communicated in the midst of such a media circus?

A journalist once wrote, "You can always tell where truth is being proclaimed in the world. Where it is suppressed. All else is advertisement."

The ancient tempter has always favored human autonomy as the way to achieve his goal. Let a person think that he or she is god, accountable to no one but themselves. Let what is good and evil be decided by the individual alone. Let right or wrong be determined by the audience applause-meter on the Oprah Winfrey show, or the latest social survey. Better yet, let the government tell us what is right or wrong. Or medical science. Or perhaps we should stand on a word beyond ourselves - a word from the One before whom we must live our lives; the One who, between His first word of creation and His last word of judgment, is calling us with His present words of grace and truth to be reconciled to Himself.

God's Word is full of truth. He is not afraid of the word 'sin' or 'judgment'. His word is also full of grace. He speaks of a way for guilty sinners to be  legally pardoned to such a degree that there remains no record of their wrongs. God speaks words of 'love' and 'mercy' to those who 'repent', 'believe' and own Jesus, the Christ as their Lord and Savior. Truth without grace, is legalism, and would seal our condemnation. Grace, without truth, is romanticism, and would seal our deception. But Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), is full of grace AND truth (John 1:17), divine realism, and He alone can seal our salvation.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). We must choose: Will we live by our own high and mighty ideas, or live by the Word?