For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:17

"Doublespeak" is using soft terms to say hard things.

A few examples of doublespeak would be saying someone was downsized, when in fact they were fired.

* A company may say it's "reducing costs," when it cut people's salaries.

* I'm a "golden-ager," which is a nicer way of saying "I'm as old as dirt."

* A prisoner of war becomes a "detainee" in doublespeak.

* No longer do we have a suspect for a crime; in doublespeak we have a "person of interest."

* A SWAT team may take someone down, which is doublespeak for "killing someone."

The list goes on.

* We can lose our breakfast, lunch or dinner, but we don't get nauseous.

* We can be "three sheets to the wind," but we would never be drunk.

* We can have an "ethnic cleansing," which is the doublespeak version of committing genocide.

Now I've been told the Office of Justice Programs no longer wishes to use harsh terminology for people who have committed crimes or served time in prison. Doing that, according to a Justice person, drains their sense of self-worth and perpetuate(s) a cycle of crime ...."

And what words shall we use for such folk? In 2013 Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said that his people should refer to released convicts as "returning citizens."

It should be noted that the Lord does not indulge in doublespeak.

When it comes to wrongdoing, God is forthright and honest when He says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). He tells us that "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). He tells us that the world was condemned by the sin of one man (see Romans 5:12).

But the Lord is equally straightforward when He shares the Good News that comes to us through the Savior. For example, God states, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

In another place the Lord shares that we "know that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16).

And that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks You have always been clear in the things You share with us. Open our hearts to hear of Your will and way, which saves. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 21-22    Psalms 18    John 6:22-40

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"