I heard the soft rumbling of a debate happening outside my bedroom door the other day. The voices of my two sons, Kedar, 8, and Kaleb, 6, were barely audible. Each one was speaking just above a whisper, albeit it a loud one.
“You tell her,” one demanded. “No, you tell her,” the other rebutted. “You did it, so you tell her!” This back-and-forth battle went on for about 30 seconds. I couldn’t hear everything, but from what I could make out, I knew someone had done something wrong about which they did not wish to confess.
Soon the conversation grew closer in proximity to my bedroom doorway, until finally the two emerged from the shadows.
“Kaleb was twisting this and it broke off,” Kedar blurted. With his eyes stretched, he walked toward me holding something gray in his hand. A guilty and nervous-looking Kaleb lingered behind his big brother and remained silent.
“What is that?” I asked, fixing my gaze upon the object resting in the palm of Kedar’s hand. “It’s the switch to the lamp,” he quickly answered. My dear son never minds sharing misdeeds, whether accidental or deliberate, as long as he is not the culprit who can be implicated in any way.
I sighed and shook my head.
The damaged lamp is a fairly new replacement for the old one which suffered a similar fate at the hands of Kaleb and Kedar. The two could see the disappointment on my face and began explaining how it happened.
So I listened and told them they needed to be more careful and respectful of household items. After I finished lecturing them, then I said, “Go tell your father.”
Although the boys didn’t want to hear what their dad would have to say, I knew my husband Kenya would tell them what they needed to hear, which is precisely what God does.
You see, the Lord doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. He’s not interested in telling us what makes us feel good, if it isn’t good for us. Truth hurts sometimes and it might be bitter going down. But truth also has the power to set us free.
That’s why I admonish you never to shy away from the “hard sayings” of Jesus (See John 6:59-60). These are principles that challenge the human heart and require spiritual discipline to carry out.
When we want to get upset with folks who don’t treat us right, the hard saying would be love your enemies and do good to them anyway. When we want to do our own thing and appease the flesh, the hard saying would be die daily, mortify our members, and crucify the flesh.
When we walk in the spirit, these hard sayings, become easy. The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit empowers us to do what our unregenerate flesh cannot do. On our own, we can neither comprehend nor obey the things of God. But with the help of the Lord and submission to God's word, we can be all God created us to be.
That's why it's so important to have true fellowship and communion with the Father, and to possess a hunger and thirst for divine truth. We have to be willing to tell our Father, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).
God is calling for mature Believers who are weaned off milk and are willing to eat the meat of the Word unlike those depicted in Hebrews 5:12 who were perpetually immature. Don’t be like them.
To drive this message home, I’m stirring 2 Timothy 4:3 NIV into your cup of inspiration. It says, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
When you drink down the contents of your cup today, you’ll be reminded of the importance of seeking the truth of God’s word, even when He gives you hard sayings to follow. You will do the opposite of those who have “itching ears.” Unlike the truth-dodgers the scripture speaks of, you will open your heart to receive the wisdom, discipline, correction, and guidance of the Lord.
You won’t be afraid to embrace truth, even when it hurts, so you can become all God is calling for in these last days.
Now let’s pray.
“God, I’m coming to You today with an open heart. I’m asking that You would search me, try me, and know me. I’m serious about my walk with You and want to please You in all I say and do. Please continue to groom me, teach me, mold me, shape me, and fashion me after Your perfect will. With a surrendered heart, help me receive the truth, correction, and wisdom You impart, and to obey all that You instruct me to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
