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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
The Love of the Truth sometimes demands division! Read it again, please. The Love of the Truth sometimes demands division! I am not a “shock-jock” in the popular sense of the term, but sometimes people need to wake up to reality and this is one of those times.
Being politically correct is not only a difficult job, it is an impossible and sometimes sinful endeavor! Jesus couldn't be “politically correct” and neither can nor should we attempt to be. In His ministry, Jesus remained at odds to His opposition constantly! I ask you, dear reader to re-read the sentence just prior to this one. “Why did Jesus remain at odds to His opposition?” We will presently address this question.
The answer is quite simple: Jesus remained at odds to His opposition because His opposition remained at odds with the truth! This is what made them His opposition! Had they embraced the truth, or even considered embracing the truth, Jesus' attitude toward the hypocrites, the liars, the wolves-in-sheep's-clothing, the blind guides, and the multitude of other moral deviants would have immediately changed. However, as long as Jesus continued to manifest the love of the truth and as long as others continued to manifest disdain for the truth, just that long Jesus could not be politically correct!
Jesus was not delusional when He said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10.34). Nor was He contradicting His overall intention to reconcile men to the Father. However, he knew the reality of the human heart; some would repent when facing the truth and others would be hardened. This reality is what caused Him to say that He did not come to bring peace to the earth. As He said earlier, “Blessed are the peacemakers!” They are blessed because of the difficult job they face, the job of maintaining their love of the truth while confronting a world that can be cruel and entirely opposed to truth. That is the only way that true peace can be achieved, namely by confronting spiritual darkness with the light of the truth.
Have you been there? Have you ever been awakened from a deep sleep by someone turning on the light in your bedroom? It hurts!! Your eyes close even more tightly to exclude the light and to avoid the pain. Your mind begins to grapple with reality as your body cries out for more rest. “Turn that light off!” you want to cry. That decision point is the same decision point that is reached spiritually when the spotlight of truth illuminates the sin-laden human heart. In the physical world, I have a choice; I can accept the reality that it is time to get up, shake the cobwebs from my brain, and get on about the business of the day; or I can be angry with the sorry so-and-so that turned the light on, cover up my head, and go back to sleep. This is what Jesus was intent on doing, turning on the light so all could see. At the same time, He knew that some would prefer darkness. It was this reality that forced Him to say, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
The Love of the Truth does not encounter idyllic situations; it encounters ugly realities! However, it must persevere in spite of circumstances! The Love of the Truth has no alternative!
Questions:
1. Why did I say Jesus was at odds to His opposition? Do you agree or disagree?
2. Was Jesus' attitude toward some people radically different from His attitude toward others? If yes, why was it so different?
3. What does Jesus' statement about bringing a sword to the earth have to do with the reality that some would vehemently oppose the truth?
4. How must the genuine love of the truth react to those who genuinely and unalterably have a total disdain for truth?
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