May 8th blog

Juggling with the truth

How important is truth?  How important is it to speak truth?  What about when the truth is hard to speak because you know it will be hard for the one listening to hear?  What about when the truth is hard to speak because you know that the one listen will not see the truth but only you, the one speaking, and possibly lash out at you (when they will see you as judging them rather than sharing the truth)? What about when the truth spoken reveals not just the lies, wrongs, or misgivings of another but also speaks to your shortcomings and failures?  Truth is vital to a Christ centered life but it isn't always an easy thing to hold onto.

Eli is an example of what happens when we let truth go unspoken for too long and when we don't live it wholeheartedly for ourselves.  His sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were living in direct disobedience to the truth of God's word.  They were using their position for their glory and gain and not for the Lord.  Eli was obviously not only aware of his sons disobedient deeds but was partaking in the gluttony of their actions as well (1 Samuel 2:29 "Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people?")  Eli made a feeble attempt to speak truth to his sons but it was without success and without determination.  Eli seemed to have had the passive mentality of "I tried" and washed his hands of any part he felt he had in making sure that the truth of God's word was held up (both in his sons lives as well as his own).  He was juggling the truth with his desires and interests and when the Lord confronted him the only thing left before Eli to hold onto was the convicting truth and therefore the consequences of choosing to not live by that truth.

In stark contrast we have Samuel, the young boy, who had to proclaim difficult truth to his mentor, Eli, that the consequence's of his family's sin and the passive attitude held toward that sin was now going to be paid in full.  After this difficult declaration of truth by Samuel, we read in chapter 3 verse 19 "The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground."   I love this verse.  None of the words of God spoken to Samuel, none of the truths revealed, were ever dropped.  They weren't juggled carelessly but held responsibly.  God is faithful to keep his promises, to hold them up, both the blessings and the curses, but he also gave Samuel the strength and ability to carry those truths, to share those truths, to speak boldly those truths as a benefit to any who would listen as well as a guide for his own life.  I'm sure Samuel had moments when his bold life of truth seeking and speaking kept people and their sins away from him.  Despite how people may have seen Samuel, despite what people thought of his truth living life Samuel remained faithful to God, faithful to his word, and obedient to the truth and willing to speak whatever truth God revealed needed to be spoken.

I find myself at the dividing line between Eli and Samuel.  I have sitting on my kitchen table in front of me God's word, his truths spelled out clearly before me to live out in my life and to proclaim to others in love.  Yet I realize that I can often take a passive seat like Eli and juggle the truth with my fears and with my limited understanding of a situation.  When I do this I am letting other factors hinder me from letting the truth of God be poured out in either my actions or words for the benefit of others.  "What will they think if I speak this truth of God?"  "Will they call me a hypocrite?"  "Will they lash out and tell me I am judging them rather than being able to see that it is not I but the Lord who spoke this truth?"  "Will they even really listen to me, so should I even bother?"  "I don't really want them to think I am some holier then thou person if I act this way."  "I don't really know what is going on in their lives that makes them speak or act the way they do so maybe I should just mind my own business." These are some of the thoughts that I can find myself juggling with when the Lord is calling me to speak his truth into the life of someone else.  What it comes down to is that I value my reputation and my comfort in the world more then I value my calling to be salt and light, to be a witness of the truth, to be an obedient child of God for the benefit of others.

Now, do not get me wrong.  I don't believe God wants us to pick up his word, go outside, and start beating people over the head with the truth.  Eli had a relationship with his sons and it was through that relationship that God wanted him to speak truth and to live truth in their sight.  Samuel had a relationship with the people of Israel as a prophet, priest and judge.  It was through that relationship that God wanted him to live out truth and to speak it forth.  It is through relationships that we can cultivate an environment that gives us opportunity to speak truth and sometimes, I think more importantly, to live out the truth of God's words.  But here is the things with living out the truth of God, at some point we need share why we live the way we choose.  We need to allow our actions to be a springboard to sharing, verbally, the truth.  That does not mean that it will always be accepted with open arms and ready hearts and that is ok because I am called to live for the Lord and in obedience to him.  I am called to seek him and to let him lead me into the opportunities for he knows the hearts of others and he knows the work going on inside them.  I am not here to look around and determine in my own understand who needs to hear what truth and when.  I am called to live in obedient leading and let the Lord move in me and guide me.  It is for the blessing and benefit of those listening that I live a life of obedience to the truth and that I speak it when God places the opportunity before me.

I desire to live on the side of Samuel with whom the Lord was with and I want the truths of God firmly held in my hands and to proclaim them in my life so that others may be drawn to the light of truth and be rescued from whatever may be hindering them.  I want to put aside my fears, my pride, my comforts, and my understandings and let the Lord teach me, guide me, and use my life to be a vessel of truth.  I want to live a life of blessing for others.  I want to be a truth seeker, truth speaker, and truth life liver.

So my prayer is this, that I would:  Daily seek the Lord and his truth.  Daily ask the Lord to guide my heart, mind and life.  Daily to recognize and confess my sins to him who is faithful to forgive them.  Daily seek ways to cultivate the relationships in my life.  Daily inquire of the Lord and how he would use me in the lives of those around me.  Daily seek the strength of the Lord to be able to live and carry the truths of God's word in my heart and my mind.  I want to be a vessel of hope, obedience and truth.