Scripture
"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him..." When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him." (Acts 7:5154)
Observation
What if they would have repented? Really ... I mean, what if, instead of getting angry at Stephen, they would have asked for forgiveness? What if they had not gotten angry at the facts and would not have treated truth as condemnation?
Application
I wonder if I do that. Oh, it might be in much more subtle ways, but nevertheless, we can have the same intent. It's seen mostly in the way I respond to the truth when it runs counter to my thoughts and actions. You could say that it is most easily seen in my "Correctability Factor."
(I guess that might be a word not in the dictionary because the spell check on my computer keeps popping up, incessantly trying to correct the word: "correctability.")
I wonder if I have such deep-seated, fully settled misguided conclusions on the inside that the spell check of my heart keeps trying to correct what should be correcting me? My defense mechanism kicks in, my self-protecting rationalizations begin its spin, and my pride rears its ugly head. And instead of being corrected, I spell check everything according to my internal dictionary.
When the truth is presented, I must recognize it rather than spell check it. If it calls for repentance, my desire must be that repentance comes easy. And when the truth is heard, my ears must rejoice in it rather than cringe from it.
I have to keep sitting at the feet of Christ with His Word on a daily basis so I am not only familiar to the sounds of truth, but my inner man rejoices each time I suspect its presence.
I also know that in these last days, there will be more false prophets than true. I must learn, as Jeremiah once cautioned me, to separate the precious from the worthless. (Jer.15:19) and in doing so, I will be able to discern truth from deception.
I will need to reshape my inner dictionary to delete incorrect meanings that have attached themselves to such words like "truth." Then I must replace it with a godly definition that helps me to see these words as friends and not as enemies... as tutors and not critics.
(I guess that might be a word not in the dictionary because the spell check on my computer keeps popping up, incessantly trying to correct the word: "correctability.")
I wonder if I have such deep-seated, fully settled misguided conclusions on the inside that the spell check of my heart keeps trying to correct what should be correcting me? My defense mechanism kicks in, my self-protecting rationalizations begin its spin, and my pride rears its ugly head. And instead of being corrected, I spell check everything according to my internal dictionary.
When the truth is presented, I must recognize it rather than spell check it. If it calls for repentance, my desire must be that repentance comes easy. And when the truth is heard, my ears must rejoice in it rather than cringe from it.
I have to keep sitting at the feet of Christ with His Word on a daily basis so I am not only familiar to the sounds of truth, but my inner man rejoices each time I suspect its presence.
I also know that in these last days, there will be more false prophets than true. I must learn, as Jeremiah once cautioned me, to separate the precious from the worthless. (Jer.15:19) and in doing so, I will be able to discern truth from deception.
I will need to reshape my inner dictionary to delete incorrect meanings that have attached themselves to such words like "truth." Then I must replace it with a godly definition that helps me to see these words as friends and not as enemies... as tutors and not critics.
Prayer
Dear Father, I ask that You would open my ears to the truth and cause my heart to rejoice when truth wins. Then, I can truly learn to love You and rejoice in whatever corrects me closer to You ... remembering that "Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out" (1 Cor. 13:6).
