We live in a "feel good" society. Every thing positive, no negative especially when our moods aren't the greatest. Positive feed-back, positive thinking, positive words, surrounding ourselves with positive people and the list goes on and on. Positive offends fewer people and doesn't give the idea to others that we are negative. Positive can work but only at the right time. Positive can mask what needs to be dealt with and distract from the reality of the truth. Negative can also work against us pushing people away and gives us a bad taste toward someone. What are we to do?
Sometimes it takes a lot of straight forward, plain talk and foul-tasting medicine to effect a cure in the lives of people. Jesus didn't mince His words too often. He didn't walk around the covenant people of God spewing out all the up-beat of positive and everything was good. That's not what many needed to hear. God's covenant people would not hear the words of God and Jesus had to warn, admonish and tell the truth if any of them would be saved. Too many today are taking in all the talk of the world around us that are nice and fluffy! We like that because it doesn't confront us with the change that needs to come about in our own lives. Fluffy makes us feel good, smile and share with others while the same old mind set and direction continues.
What we need is truth. Truth is for practicing!!! Truth is for practicing at a personal, ethical level as well as practicing in the presence of people. Truth is for practicing in the company of the emotional basket cases whose hearts are torn because it gives hope and direction. Truth is for practicing in the church when there becomes a power struggle to show there is a standard of the Lordship of Jesus. Truth is for practicing in a world that mixes all sorts of ideas about God, ignoring God and is in great need of seeing and hearing the gospel of salvation and reconciliation. Truth is for practicing! Not for admiring or wearing as a badge of honor. Not recited as if we had it memorized, analyzed or can debate it. Truth is for practicing!
If there is anything that proves this more it is reading I John. Everything in I John stresses the need to do what is true, practicing the truth. The one who practices righteousness is of God (I John 3:10). Love is demonstrated in our actions and truth, not in words (I John 3:18). To say we have fellowship with God and walk in darkness we are not practicing the truth (I John 1:6). Truth is for practicing!
Luke records in both his gospel and Acts over and over the practicing of the truth. He frames them in questions like: "What shall we do?" or "do this and live." Truth is for practicing!
Jesus taught if anyone was willing to practice the will of God they will come to know if the teaching is from God or man (John 7:17). Jesus taught His disciples that not saying the name of the Lord means anything but the doing or practicing of His will determines everything (Matt. 7:21).
People give all their reasons why to block out the reality of the truth and just go to the positive. We excuse ourselves why we shouldn't obey God's truth. Many dismiss integrity in business, sexual purity, forgiving others who hurt us, resentments, while demanding accountability (to us) and rights (for us) but submitting to Jesus and practice truth in our lives is over-looked. Truth is for practicing and we need to heed and follow the truth in our lives because it is the only place the Lord lives and walks in Himself. The prophet Amos proclaimed God's people need to stop the songs and music and practice righteousness or to exile they must go (Amos 5:23-24). Truth is for practicing!
3 comments:
Well said Brent! Amen is all I can say.
The prosperity gospel really scares me. I've only experienced it via tv and the radio, but I imagine when people who've been told that Jesus is a rich uncle who wants to make them happy, healthy and wealthy hit tough times their hearts get hardened. I have nothing against optimism, but Jesus didn't promise us nothing but blue skies in this world and people need to hear that or they will become totally disillusioned.
Without the truth, all people get is a cotton candy gospel - it looks big and promising, but it provides no substance.
I noticed a repetitive use of "Truth is for practicing." Repetitive use of a key phrase is effective; because of such emphasis, the reader has a better chance of remembering key points, and in this case key points are problems-scriptures. I also noticed, however, a lack of concrete, generically written examples. For instance, just how effective is the prescribed Power of Positive Thinking used among psychiatrists? Well, consider this comparison: a free-of-charge statement made by Jesus, "Your sins are forgiven," and suddenly people were leaping for joy, spreading the news as fast their feet would allow them to travel, compared to a price-tag statement by a psychiatrist or found in a psychologically inflated book, and people either walk away at the same speed as before they received the consultation, or their resolve is so short term, they must buy more time or more books. Why is this? There is no one, nor any thing greater than the power of God: Proverbs 21:30, Isaiah 55:8-11, and Matthew 8:23-27. As people whole-heartedly seek truth from the eternal word of God, the Bible as we know it, they discover the beauty and awesomeness of its harmonic nature, and consequently PRACTICE according to truth of God's eternal word.
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