Morning Musings-Discerning the Truth

Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...





This is talking about false doctrines and heresies.  People who were spreading lies about the message of Jesus and who had had their

 "consciences seared as with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:1-15 ).  

These people were forbidding others to marry and to abstain from certain foods.  This is adding onto the truth so that it becomes twisted and distorted.  

People seem to like to revert back to doing this and that in order to have, or hope to have, complete salvation; thus maligning God's truth.  

When we give thanks to God for our food, we consecrate it by "the word of God and prayer" and therefore we can eat anything with thanksgiving.  We do not have to worry about it being clean or unclean.  All that is Old Testament teaching but Jesus changed it so that people will not think that to get merit in God's eyes you would have to follow the rules and regulations.  Nope.  Nowadays, since Jesus' death and resurrection, we can eat what was formerly considered "unclean" as "clean".

Recall the vision that Peter had which we can read about in Acts 10:9-22.  God really has a good sense of humor!  Anyway, the "voice spoke to him..."Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."  So the people referred to in Timothy's letter from Paul were trying to get legalistic and confuse the brothers and sisters.  Timothy was to set them straight again.

Timothy was to teach: "the truths of the faith" that he had been brought up on and faithfully taught by his mother and grandmother.  He was to be a "good minister of that good teaching".  We see this in contrast to the falsehoods being inflicted upon God's people; falsehoods of "godless myths and old wives tales" (superstitions).

The people of God are still inflicted with such today in all shapes and sizes and need to be constantly reminded and be aware and alert to them.  Part of the way to do that is to be sure to be diligent in reading, knowing and obeying God's Word thoroughly.  In this way one would be more readily able to discern the truth from the lies.

Timothy was to train himself to be godly; that holiness and blamelessness we've learned about before.  Training takes time.  It takes effort.  As for physical training which does have benefit, so too with the spiritual, godly training.  This spiritual training has great value for all things (all of life in a holistic manner).  Great value for the present life and also into the future.  In this way he could (and we can) store up treasure in heaven.

Paul also tells Timothy to put his hope in the living God.  God's household is the church of the living God and he was to teach God's children how they ought to conduct themselves therein.  

I like that term 'the living God'.  Realizing that our God is 'living' will be a pillar and foundation for us as we believe this truth.  We will become more strong, firm and steadfast.  My sons, do get a strong grip on that in your minds and hearts.  When you do you will not be so easily swayed by the manifold falsehoods that spring up throughout all generations.  "Persevere in the true doctrine...and so save both yourself and any of your hearers"  with whom you share God's truth.

                                                                    ~ERC  2016~