By Lady Theophilus
Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” How can we obey this Proverb? What does it mean to buy or sell truth?
“Sell”ing truth means letting go of truth for the love of something else; Forsaking truth for a way of pleasure or ease; being willing to give up what you know to be right, so you can “live in freedom”— which really means “go your own way”.
Judas in the Bible is an example of someone who sold the truth. He loved money more than the Lord; and it cost him his spiritual and physical life.
We have to ask ourselves these questions:
— What good thing am I willing to haphazardly give up, so I can do what I want to do?
— Am I turning away from my relationship with God, just to partake in this pleasure?
— Am I making an idol of ____, and not truly worshiping God in the way I live day to day? (Anything that is more important to us than Christ is an idol to us.)
— Have I allowed myself to compromise, telling myself “this doesn’t really matter”, when God has told me that it DOES matter?
— Am I satisfied to give God less than my very best? — Do I feel I have learned it all? Have I quit being willing to grow?
— Am I truly living for Christ in how I spend my money and in what I spend time thinking and talking about?
Now that we know we aren’t supposed to sell truth, how can we “buy” truth?
1. Read your Bible. Various verses in Psalm 119 talk about how God’s word is truth, and those who read it and follow the truth will have victory over sin and know how to live as God wants them to.
2. Seek godly people (parents, pastors, older friends), for their wisdom. This can be done in several ways: listening to them, talking with them, reading their books. Isaiah 38:19b, “The father shall make known Your truth to the children.” (Also read Proverbs 4 about this.) If you feel like you are in “a desert” when it comes to having these godly helpers, 1) pray for God’s provision of this need and 2) you may ask us for recommendations of good books, etc. to help you in your walk with the Lord.
3. Use your leisure time wisely, only putting good things into your mind. The following two verses from 1 Corinthians build parameters for what things we should do with discretionary time: things that are not controlling us, things that are helpful, things that edify spiritually. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
Why do we need to be so careful? Because we are bought by Jesus’ blood. Our Master has the right to use our lives because they are His. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
“...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:21B) Ask yourself, can God be glorified through what I am doing?
In summation we can learn this from Proverbs 23:23: Do whatever you have to do to learn and keep God’s truth, always learning more of His ways and righteousness. But do not, for any reason, let go of what He has already given you. Walk in His paths of righteousness.
We need to try to live like Christ wants us to, and not try to see what we can get by with and still make it to heaven. So many people say (with their lives) “Here is the line of sin. I’m not going to cross it, but I’m going to stand as close to it as I can without falling over it.” If we want to be Christians though, we must run from that “sin line” and instead do our utmost to live like Jesus, who is our Savior, our Lord, and our Pattern.
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