Devoted to the Truth
Tonight I enjoyed a tall Earl Grey tea and a stirring conversation with two friends of mine. We had just led small groups for our high school Bible study which has been on the Beattitudes. Tonight’s was the last one in Matthew 5:10-12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven,
for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
We spent quite a bit of time discussing what exactly is persecution and do we face it in America today. It seems that we often compare ourselves to others (aren’t we guilty of this on so many levels?!) in terms of spiritual experiences and personal conduct. It seems that a person living in China has a totally different perspective on being a believer than a young daughter of a wealthy family in Silicon Valley. Our discussion centered around the possibility that we are not persecuted as much here in America maybe because we compromise with the world. We talked about how persecution is often in the form of being driven away in personal relationships, being verbally attacked and falsely accused. Jesus presents the dynamic response we ought to have in rejoicing as we keep in mind the reward we will receive in heaven and that many before us, namely Christ, have suffered the same. For more on this please read Bobby’s entry “Persecution in America”.
I’m so thankful to have friends who sharpen me in discerning truth from error. I can’t imagine being isolated on my own without any spurring on to love and good deeds or challenge to walk worthy of our calling. I am very glad that the Lord provides others to encourage and exhort us on in our walk with Him.
Yesterday Bobby and I visited a popular Christian bookstore in our area. I tend to have somewhat of a plight with Christian bookstores. I suppose that since they are somewhat smaller than the mainstream booksellers that business is different for them. My experience at such establishments has often been that they do not carry the product I’m looking for, or the prices are much higher than I am willing to pay. Sometimes I’d rather visit a regular Borders bookstore and I can find what I’m looking for in their stock and get a good deal and maybe even a cup of coffee. I have often been perplexed by this genre of bookstore that calls itself Christian. For example the one we went to last night is called “Berean”, referring to the believers in Acts 17:11 who “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” People often make reference to these noble believers who exercised intense discretion and discernment, not even taking Paul’s words upfront, but rather poured over Scripture to test all that they heard. With this name attributed to the bookstore we entered I wondered what kind of place it would be. I was somewhat surprised to find that they actually had any and every piece of religious paraphernalia available! Books by all kinds of authors, Christian, non Christian, they even had “romance novel” and “Catholic faith” sections. This certainly is not what comes to mind when we read about the Bereans!
I was reminded from this and the conversation tonight, that we cannot be too devoted to the Truth. It is not some negotiable, give-or-take aspect to our faith. It is the very essence of our faith and we should treat it with that intensity by searching and studying it daily, praying it, speaking it to others and obeying it. By clinging to the Word we will be sharpened in discernment and ready to face all trials and persecutions that come our way.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Posted by blakeyblog |
November 10th, 2005
Hmmm … why would a ‘catholic faith’ section not appeal to Bereans?
November 10th, 2005
Steve- I simply was surprised to find Catholic books at a Christian book store much the same way as I would be suprised to find Christian books at a Catholic one. I don’t view the two as the same.
The Bereans searched the Scriptures to examine if things were of the Truth. As I have searched the Scriptures I have never read anything that recommends the religious system of Catholicism.
November 10th, 2005
After thinking about it some, I think you’re right. Catholicism embraces teachings that contradict the Bible. That’s definitely not what the Bereans were known for.
November 11th, 2005
I love how all three of us from that night wrote about our conversation! God is definitely doing something there. It’s very convicting, and I pray I never forget it. You’re such a wonderful friend!