Tag: truth in love

Hearing What We Don’t Want to Hear

1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18

In First Kings 22 and in Second Chronicles 18 we find the same account of evil King Ahab considering going to war against Ramoth Gilead.  He asked about 400 prophets what he should do and they all said to go victoriously to war.  When encouraged by King Jehoshaphat of Judah to ask a prophet closer to the matter about this, King Ahab’s response is found in First Kings 22:8.  He says, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.  He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”  Now remember, it is said of evil King Ahab from First Kings 21:25-26, “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.  He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.”  It is no wonder the true prophet of God never had anything good to prophesy, but always bad!

It is noteworthy that King Ahab avoided the truth because he deemed it as bad.  Instead, he listened to the 400 voices that told him what he wanted to hear.  King Rehoboam did the same thing in First Kings chapter 12.  Instead of listening to the advice of the elders, who gave advice he did not want to hear, he followed the advice of his peers.  He followed what he wanted rather than what was best for him.

It would be easy to look at these kings and heap ridicule upon them in judgment.  However, it might be beneficial to consider our own ways.  How often do we gravitate toward people who affirm our immorality, rather than seeking the truth of God?  How often do we lean into confirmation bias, rather than seeking godly ways of thinking about a matter?  The book of Proverbs consistently supports the idea of seeking wise counsel.  Consider Proverbs 1:5, “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance”.  Also, Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”  Clearly, God desires that we would listen to the voices that speak His wisdom into our lives, even if we don’t want to hear it.

One more thing to consider today.  Sometimes we are the ones who need to hear something from God, even when we don’t want to hear it.  However, sometimes we are the Micaiah’s who have something to say that someone else may not want to hear.  Progress in these situations slowly, discerning God’s wisdom to speak in love.  Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”  The words we speak must be spoken in love.  Our goal of speaking should be for us to grow into Christ together.  

Listen to God’s Word, especially if you don’t want to hear it.  Speak to others in love, especially when they might not want to hear God’s Word.

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

How can you actively seek godly voices in your life?

What does it mean to speak the truth in love?  What does each element (truth and love) entail?

When is the right time to speak and when is the right time to be quiet?

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All Forms of Malice

Old Testament: 2 Kings 11 & 12

Poetry: Psalm 132

New Testament: Ephesians 4

Thou shalt not murder. This is one of the simplest commandments to keep. But the Jews of old and the Western world today lay out conditions of killing another human being that are acceptable, or deserve a lesser degree of punishment.  In this standard, the most murderiest of murders is “murder with malice”.  This means that the crime was premeditated and the intent to kill was established well before the act was carried out – murder happened in the heart first. (Matt 5:21-22) Malice, this intention and desire for evil, has no place in the Christian’s heart.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:31-32

Therefore, It is seemingly pretty simple advice when Paul states Christians should get rid of every form of malice.  Christians sin, yes, but isn’t it always accidental or sometimes in the spirit of the moment? Not quite.  The malicious premeditation of a Christian is more elaborate and filled with justifications for their crime.   Christians become apologetics for the immoral actions of a political candidate because their candidate does their bidding. Christians cheat on their taxes with the justification that the government is spending on abortion. Christians gossip under the guise of having more people in prayer over the concern.  Christians withhold the Gospel message from someone because we don’t want to save them (eternal murder with malice).  These premeditated actions of Christians remind me of the unreliable narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart, making elaborate justification for his act in madness.  They are equally crazy.

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  and do not give the devil a foothold.” – Ephesians 4:25-27

If we can feel the malice forming in our minds, it is time to address the issue. Paul states that we should be humble, gentle, patient, and loving, especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we have an issue, ghosting brothers and sisters in Christ is unacceptable and leads to malicious talk and actions. We must find them, and speak truth in love and hope for a unifying and peaceful resolution.  Even further, when someone has an issue with us, we must abide by the same rules, seeking resolution and unity.  The only defense we are ever to play is accounting for the hope we have and the confidence within us about our faith. (1 Pet 3:15)

Be careful, O Christian.  Don’t let the sun go down with anger in your heart. It will turn into bitterness.  It will turn into rage.  It will turn into murder by the standards of Jesus Christ.  Let’s conclude with this ending thought by Paul: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. When was the last time you let the sun go down with anger in your heart? How could you have changed how you dealt with the problem?
  2. What is the danger with anger?
  3. Truthfully consider, is there an area where you lean toward malice? How would you go about getting rid of it? What would you replace it with? How?
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All-Star Team

Matthew 10-12

jesus-disciples

Sunday, April 30

Suppose you were given the task of building a team that was responsible for learning some teachings and convincing everyone else in the world that those teachings were true.  What kind of people would you pick for this team?  I would go with an all-star team of doctors, lawyers, scholars, politicians, successful business people, and someone famous.  Jesus had this same task, but he built an all-star team of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, probably some tradesmen, and more fishermen.  These were the occupations of the twelve disciples.  Think about how unremarkable this group was, and yet they were chosen to carry out probably the most important job in the history of mankind, to spread the gospel to the whole world.  They were ordinary people on an extraordinary mission.

And guess what…the mission is not over, especially considering there are about seven billion people alive today that were not living a couple thousand years ago.  I’m pretty sure all of the disciples died so they are not able to help with the work anymore.  God needs a team now to carry on the mission and I suspect he is still counting on ordinary people to join the team.  Yes, I am talking about you.  God wants you to help preach the gospel to all of the nations.

But what is the message?  In Matthew 10:12, Jesus said he wanted them to go out and preach about the kingdom.  He wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the coming kingdom.  Is everyone going to accept the message?  Absolutely not.  Jesus said if they don’t accept the message, shake off the dust of your feet and move on to the next place.  It might seem odd that Jesus was sending them to places where they would be rejected, but he still thought it was important that everyone should hear the message so they can make the choice themselves.  If someone doesn’t hear about the kingdom, they don’t have a chance to accept the kingdom message.

Is it going to be easy?  Nope.  Jesus said we are like sheep in the midst of wolves.  He told us that it won’t be easy, and in fact, it could be dangerous.  Moreover, if you choose to be on this team, the message is not always viewed favorably and your own family may hate you for it, even to the point of your own family having you killed.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:11 that no one was ever greater than John the Baptist, yet his life ended when they chopped off his head.  However, Jesus tells us the good news in Matthew 10:39, “He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it.”

In Matthew 12:19, it talks about Jesus’ approach.  He won’t quarrel or cry out, and nobody in the streets will hear his voice.  I believe this is our model of how to spread the gospel message.  We are not looking for a fight.  We don’t have to get angry with people because they disagree with us.  We do not have to stand on street corners and scream at people that they are going to hell if they don’t repent.  We just need to speak the truth in love.  Explain to people what is going to happen in the future, especially what happens to them after they die.  Tell them about the kingdom and how to attain salvation.  If they are not interested in what you are saying, move on.  There is no need for a heated debate and there is no need to keep pestering them.  Just shake off the dust and move on.  You can feel good that you gave them a chance for eternal life.  The only time you should feel bad is when you had the opportunity to talk to someone and kept silent.  What if they would have embraced the gospel message, but nobody ever gave them that chance?  That would be a tragedy to let someone die eternally without ever trying to save them.

Fortunately, it is not our responsibility to make sure others attain salvation.  It is only our responsibility to make sure they hear the gospel message.  Don’t put any pressure on yourself for results.  It is only your job to make sure that people have a choice and they don’t have a choice unless someone tells them about the choice.  Matthew 12:50 says that whoever does the will of Jesus’ Father is a brother, sister, or mother of Jesus.  That is a family I hope you want to be a part of.

-Rick McClain

Bio:  Happily married, 4 kids, and 0 pets.  Enjoy sports, vacations, and romantic comedies.  Blood type is A positive.  Life Goal:  Get as many people in the kingdom as possible.