“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3–4, RSV)
You may not be able to handle today's meditation. In fact, without the Holy Spirit, you may find some offense with it. If you do find offense with it, chances are you are living under the influence of some great lie. If you find yourself rejoicing as you read, chances are you have found much of God's truth and may even enjoy this scripture's clarity!
Joe had a cat he loved very much. When he went west to California on a business trip he left the cat with his brother Al and his mother. When Joe arrived in Los Angeles he called his brother and asked him how the cat was doing. Al replied bluntly, “I’m real sorry, Joe, but your cat is dead.”
Brokenhearted, Joe said, “How could you be so cruel? You know how I loved that cat. You could have said, ‘Your cat is up on the roof and we can’t get her down!’ Then the next time I called you could have told me, ‘Your cat is off the roof but it has broken a small bone in its leg and is in the hospital.’“
“Then a few days later, when I was better prepared, you could have called and said, ‘Your cat has passed away in her sleep. She felt no pain.’“
“You’re right,” replied Al meekly. “I’m real sorry about how it was handled. Please forgive me.”
A couple of weeks later Joe once again called his brother from California. After chatting for awhile he asked, “Say, Al, how’s Mother?”
“Oh, Mother?” responded Al, “O.K., I guess, but she’s up on the roof and we can’t get her down...” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Joe didn’t want to hear the truth. He wanted the truth to be easier to digest, sugar-coated, given to him in a thoughtful manner. So, essentially, Joe wanted his brother to give white lies, half-truths, and politically correct responses in order to get to the truth without as much trauma. Some people can’t handle the truth. Other people don’t want to hear the truth. A good many people today are so weak-minded that they have to be spoon-fed the truth as not to “offend” them. Still, the truth is the truth is the truth, no matter how much it offends you or makes you recoil in fear. Yes, there are ways to break a stark truth with less pain. However, for many people today, they really don’t want to be given the truth unless it meets with their approval, or fits in their world-view, or agrees with their own biases.
Recently in an interview, a female politician was asked a simple question, “What is a woman?” Afraid to offend anyone in the room, she mentioned that some people think a woman is one born with ovaries. She offered that others think a woman is one who was a man but went through a sex change. She offered a few other responses until asked again more pointedly, “What is a woman to you?” She answered, “I don’t know!”. Rather than deal with the truth, the woman would rather talk around the truth, evade the truth, even quote others without even exposing the truth. In essence, she believed a lie, a modern-day myth, a delusion.
Many people today have, as the scripture today warns, “turned away from the truth and wandered into myths” (2 Timothy 4:4). They have read the propaganda from mainstream news or online influencers and have fallen into the trap of believing the lies that are told in order to manipulate popular opinion.
Just this week, it was exposed that Facebook Company used their manipulated data and expert analysis in order to spread lies about the 2020 election in the United States, about COVID 19, about the COVID vaccine, about COVID treatments, and about Biden family illegal activities. Many followers believed the lies, even spread them. Corporate executives, politicians, and the government officials pushed Facebook to do it. These companies and politicians knew they were spreading lies, but it suited their own agenda.
For more than a decade lies about marriage, sexual identity, political truths, government activities, and many other newsworthy issues have been manipulated to fit different agendas. All too many people believed the lies, because it fit their distorted view of the world, and it fit their idea of the truth. The problem was… it wasn’t the truth.
You may think I am getting all political here. I am not. Our scripture for today purposefully attacks all forms of “fake news”, lies, and distortions told by worldly people and groups. It attacks places like universities that lie about Jesus, religion, and issues of the day. But, lies in such a manner have been told for centuries. That’s why in the scripture for today, Paul warns Timothy of “a time coming when people will not endure sound teaching” (2 Timothy 4:3). Instead, these people will “accumulate teachers to suit their own passions” who will tell them what they want to hear. These teachers will twist the truth to manipulate their students and public opinion and morality. Why do people fall for such lies? Many people don’t want to hear the truth. They would rather live with lies they can tolerate and words that are easy to digest. In essence, they can’t handle the truth as it comes from God!
There are so many half-truths, lies, and deceptions being pedaled in the modern world, sometimes it is hard to figure out what is God’s honest truth! Some people are so good at masking the truth, twisting reality, and spoon-feeding lies that they have turned many a heart against God. You need to work with God through the Holy Spirit to figure out the truth. With scriptural knowledge, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, and a soulful heart, you can wade through the lies to come to God’s truth. I hope you do so before the world’s lies end up taking you down roads that will destroy your soul.
It takes a strong soul to deal with the truth. It takes a person close to God and willing to trust God’s guidance. It takes a person imbued with the Holy Spirit to make sense of all the distortions of reality. Lean on God. Pray for guidance. Trust God’s Word. Otherwise, the lies will overwhelm you and the world will have captured your imagination. Then, you are liable to fall for all kinds of crazy ideas that will lead you to suffering and loss.
Joe had a cat he loved very much. When he went west to California on a business trip he left the cat with his brother Al and his mother. When Joe arrived in Los Angeles he called his brother and asked him how the cat was doing. Al replied bluntly, “I’m real sorry, Joe, but your cat is dead.”
Brokenhearted, Joe said, “How could you be so cruel? You know how I loved that cat. You could have said, ‘Your cat is up on the roof and we can’t get her down!’ Then the next time I called you could have told me, ‘Your cat is off the roof but it has broken a small bone in its leg and is in the hospital.’“
“Then a few days later, when I was better prepared, you could have called and said, ‘Your cat has passed away in her sleep. She felt no pain.’“
“You’re right,” replied Al meekly. “I’m real sorry about how it was handled. Please forgive me.”
A couple of weeks later Joe once again called his brother from California. After chatting for awhile he asked, “Say, Al, how’s Mother?”
“Oh, Mother?” responded Al, “O.K., I guess, but she’s up on the roof and we can’t get her down...” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Joe didn’t want to hear the truth. He wanted the truth to be easier to digest, sugar-coated, given to him in a thoughtful manner. So, essentially, Joe wanted his brother to give white lies, half-truths, and politically correct responses in order to get to the truth without as much trauma. Some people can’t handle the truth. Other people don’t want to hear the truth. A good many people today are so weak-minded that they have to be spoon-fed the truth as not to “offend” them. Still, the truth is the truth is the truth, no matter how much it offends you or makes you recoil in fear. Yes, there are ways to break a stark truth with less pain. However, for many people today, they really don’t want to be given the truth unless it meets with their approval, or fits in their world-view, or agrees with their own biases.
Recently in an interview, a female politician was asked a simple question, “What is a woman?” Afraid to offend anyone in the room, she mentioned that some people think a woman is one born with ovaries. She offered that others think a woman is one who was a man but went through a sex change. She offered a few other responses until asked again more pointedly, “What is a woman to you?” She answered, “I don’t know!”. Rather than deal with the truth, the woman would rather talk around the truth, evade the truth, even quote others without even exposing the truth. In essence, she believed a lie, a modern-day myth, a delusion.
Many people today have, as the scripture today warns, “turned away from the truth and wandered into myths” (2 Timothy 4:4). They have read the propaganda from mainstream news or online influencers and have fallen into the trap of believing the lies that are told in order to manipulate popular opinion.
Just this week, it was exposed that Facebook Company used their manipulated data and expert analysis in order to spread lies about the 2020 election in the United States, about COVID 19, about the COVID vaccine, about COVID treatments, and about Biden family illegal activities. Many followers believed the lies, even spread them. Corporate executives, politicians, and the government officials pushed Facebook to do it. These companies and politicians knew they were spreading lies, but it suited their own agenda.
For more than a decade lies about marriage, sexual identity, political truths, government activities, and many other newsworthy issues have been manipulated to fit different agendas. All too many people believed the lies, because it fit their distorted view of the world, and it fit their idea of the truth. The problem was… it wasn’t the truth.
You may think I am getting all political here. I am not. Our scripture for today purposefully attacks all forms of “fake news”, lies, and distortions told by worldly people and groups. It attacks places like universities that lie about Jesus, religion, and issues of the day. But, lies in such a manner have been told for centuries. That’s why in the scripture for today, Paul warns Timothy of “a time coming when people will not endure sound teaching” (2 Timothy 4:3). Instead, these people will “accumulate teachers to suit their own passions” who will tell them what they want to hear. These teachers will twist the truth to manipulate their students and public opinion and morality. Why do people fall for such lies? Many people don’t want to hear the truth. They would rather live with lies they can tolerate and words that are easy to digest. In essence, they can’t handle the truth as it comes from God!
There are so many half-truths, lies, and deceptions being pedaled in the modern world, sometimes it is hard to figure out what is God’s honest truth! Some people are so good at masking the truth, twisting reality, and spoon-feeding lies that they have turned many a heart against God. You need to work with God through the Holy Spirit to figure out the truth. With scriptural knowledge, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, and a soulful heart, you can wade through the lies to come to God’s truth. I hope you do so before the world’s lies end up taking you down roads that will destroy your soul.
It takes a strong soul to deal with the truth. It takes a person close to God and willing to trust God’s guidance. It takes a person imbued with the Holy Spirit to make sense of all the distortions of reality. Lean on God. Pray for guidance. Trust God’s Word. Otherwise, the lies will overwhelm you and the world will have captured your imagination. Then, you are liable to fall for all kinds of crazy ideas that will lead you to suffering and loss.