NOVEMBER 28

Loving the Truth

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

1 Peter 2:2, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

I owned a Bible, and I’d open it up from time to time, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t make any sense of it.  But family members and friends were praying for me, and though I didn’t know it at the time, the Spirit was working to convict me of sin and open my eyes to the truth.

One day, having been encouraged to attend by my fellow submariners, I found myself in a gospel preaching church.  The Pastor spoke of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  I recall asking him afterwards how he could know for sure that Jesus rose from the dead.  He spoke to me of how the risen Jesus had worked to change him.  After the service, a fellow with the Navigators approached me and wanted to know if I knew for sure that I was saved.  He saw my hesitation and then proceeded to clearly explain the gospel to me.  Soon after, I placed my trust in Jesus.

I didn’t understand a lot of what was happening back then, some 40 years ago.  But now I know better.  The Spirit was at work.  That’s why I was so burdened by sin guilt (John 16:8).  It was by His working that my blind eyes were opened to the truth of who Jesus is and what He had done for me (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).  It wasn’t me “figuring it out,” it was God intervening in my life (1 Corinthians 1:30). 

An amazing thing happened to me when I was born again.  I don’t recall the details of my first birth, but I do remember what happened in my second, when I was “born of the Spirit with life from above into God’s family divine.”  That huge burden of unrequited guilt in sin was taken away, and I joyously had a sense of that.  The other obvious change had to do with my perspective towards the Word of God.  I was Spirit-borne to a love for truth.  I was amazed when I discovered that I could read the Bible with some degree of understanding.  A whole new world (of truth) was unveiled to me.  I got myself a pocket New Testament and took it with me wherever I went.  I was in the Submarine Service at the time.  I had a lot of free time, so I spent a lot of it in that New Testament.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  It was all new to me.  I read it with a certain sense of awe.  I bought a little package of memory verse cards at the Bible Book store and started memorizing Scriptures.  I would take those memory verses and go over and over them in my mind so that I knew them by heart. 

I was Spirit-borne to a love for truth.  My experience was not unique to me. It has been the shared experience of every believer since that day on Pentecost when the Apostle Peter preached that very first sermon.  And those saved were henceforth Spirit-led to devote themselves to the Apostle’s teaching (Acts 2:42).  They were saved by the Spirit through the Word to a love by the Spirit for the Word.  They were spiritual newborns and by the Spirit, they instinctively knew what to do.  By the Spirit, they devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching—they yearned to hear what the Apostles were teaching them—what has since been recorded for us, as a part of God’s inspired word, in the New Testament.

I have an Old Catholic Bible.  In the preface of that Bible, it instructs the readers to apply themselves to the practice of reading their Bibles.  The motivation it offers is contrary to that which was the experience of myself or of those early believers.  That Bible erroneously promises to the reader, for their Bible reading time, certain indulgences that will alleviate for them punishments that they would otherwise experience., saying: “An indulgence of three years is granted to the faithful who read the Books of the Bible for at least a quarter of an hour with the reverence due to the Divine Word and as spiritual reading.”  Bible reading is promoted as a religious endeavor through which religious merit is achieved.  And we might be tempted to look at reading our Bibles as a burdensome religious duty that we must do out of necessity. But that is not the way the Spirit works.  The Spirit of Truth works to impart a love for truth for truth’s sake.  There is an inherent beauty to the truth.  The Word of Truth is the truth of the reality of God unveiled to us.  It speaks to us of a Glorious Savior and a Glorious Work whereby lost sinners are saved and provisioned and instructed in how to live in Christ.  The Bible is inherently compelling because it unveils to the Spirit-enlightened the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The ministry and work of the Spirit coincides with the subject matter of the Bible.  Jesus said of the Spirit, “He shall glorify Me” (John 16:14).  The Spirit works through the Word to that same end.  The Bible is a book all about Jesus and that’s reason enough to love it and yearn to know its truths (John 5:39).

We live in difficult days!  The aversion to the truth that we see in the post-modern day has spilled over into the church.  What is needed is a return to our roots as Christians.  Every revival of soul or society has been accompanied by a Spirit-borne love for truth.  It’s a very simple thing.  Newborn babies love mama’s milk.  Newborn Christians love the truth.  And they need to keep loving the truth that they might grow in Christ.  Lord, bless us in this needy day, with a Spirit-borne passion for truth, that will prove to be a blessing not only to ourselves, but to others who need to hear!

SPEAK, O LORD

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness

That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory

Teach us Lord, full obedience
Holy reverence, true humility
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity

Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority
Words of pow’r that can never fail
Let their truth prevail over unbelief

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity

And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory

Songwriters: Keith Getty / Stuart Townend
Speak, O Lord lyrics © Thank You Music Ltd.

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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