Don't Be Afraid To Speak God's Truth

"Today's Devotion" For May 21, 2005

Read: Acts 17:1-9; Psalm 29

DON'T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK GOD'S TRUTH

"As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures." (Acts 17:2)

Mark Twain once said, "If familiarity breeds contempt, we should never have contempt for the truth, since we have so little opportunity to become familiar with it." Ouch! Is it possible that we human beings have such a disregard for the truth? There is much evidence each day to support Twain’s contention. Victor Davis Hanson of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University speaks to this in a column published in the local newspaper today. He notes that President Bush is often accused of being a bumbler and a liar. Yet, if he had predicted the events of the last four years in a speech the day following "9-11," people would have thought him even more "nuts" than they currently consider him to be. Thomas L. Friedman, columnist for the New York Times, speaks to the issue of "telling the truth" in his column in today's paper as well. He points out that the events of the past few weeks surrounding the Newsweek story about flushing a Qur'an (Koran) down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay have shown us to be a nation that avoids facing the truth, and speaking it boldly. Instead of confronting the terrorists and those who support them with the truth of their unseemly behavior, Friedman notes that we're more likely as not to go "navel gazing" to see what we can do to better explain ourselves. It seems truth is missing in a lot of places in our society and our world.

In the same way, as we look honestly at ourselves and the world, when we consider the things of God we realize that truth, His truth, is at a premium as well. The separation that Sin causes between God and humanity has the effect of separating us from God's truth, which is the basis for all "truth" in the world. Because of the separation between God and human beings, the truth of the Gospel, God's plan to save people from the power of Sin, Death, and Hell, is considered foolishness by the world. Paul could probably relate to the struggles the President has trying to convince people of realities they don't want to see. It seems that Paul ran into the same kind of problem, but on a spiritual level, when he ran into the Jews in Thessalonica and the people of Corinth. The Theology of the Cross which Paul proclaimed was seen as foolishness, including, sadly, by many "Christians" in Corinth. They couldn't see God's wisdom in redeeming people through the sacrifice of His One and Only Son.

Today, people not only dismiss the Cross as foolishness, but the entire Word of God as nonsense. If anyone dares to suggest that God is the Creator of all things, and stands in opposition to Darwinian Evolution, which itself has taken on the mantra of religious fervor, they are considered foolish, anti-intellectual, and ignorant. The responses of the media, many scientists, the public educational community, and the world in general reflect a huge disconnect between the truth of God's Word and "truth" as humanity defines it.

We can learn a lesson on living for the truth of God's Word from St. Paul. Even with all the hatred and demonstrations against his proclamation of the Gospel going against him, St. Paul still went into the synagogues and "reasoned with them from the Scriptures." He continued to point them to Jesus as their Messiah and their Savior from Sin. Boldly, in faith and absolute trust in God's care and love, Paul faced the unwillingness of the people to believe the truth of God and continued to share the "foolishness of the Cross" with them. Called into the marvelous light of God's grace, mercy, and love in Jesus Christ, we are also given the mission of declaring the truth of God's love for the world in Jesus Christ. We are sent by Jesus to make disciples by "teaching them to observe all things, even as I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:20). That means speaking the truth of God's love in Christ with conviction and without doubt. To do so means to live the truth of God's love in Christ in all that we do each day, as living examples of God's Will and purpose at work in the world. We have received God's truth which is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). In His truth, we are forgiven and filled with hope. We belong to Him through Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord. His truth lives in us and, after all, it's the only truth that matters in a lost and fallen world.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me the boldness and courage of faith, as St. Paul had, to share the truth of the Gospel with others. Shower me with Your grace that I might not be deterred from the mission of sharing the wisdom of the Cross with those in need of Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Help me to follow St. Paul's example of determined faith so that I might reach out to others with Your truth, despite their anger or hatred toward me. Give me strength for the journey, gracious Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.