The Bible is filled with admonitions and principles about Truth. From Genesis to Revelation, God's Word warns us not to be ignorant, but to seek the Truth. Certainly, the most important Truth we are to pursue is the Truth contained in God's Word. Yet God does not want us to be ignorant or misled in any area of Truth. His Word contains valuable insights into how we are to approach any Truth claims.
We see this principle in a scene from Acts 17. Paul was on his second missionary journey when he met stiff opposition in the city of Thessalonica. Many of the Jews there rose up in anger because he preached that Jesus is the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old Testament. The angry crowd rioted and chased Paul out of the city. The people of Thessalonica had been deceived by their biases. Many refused to listen to the Gospel because it didn't agree with what they already believed. Paul had come to give them the Good News, but they thought that the Gospel was "fake news."
People who seek the Truth are noble in God's eyes.
So Paul and his friend Silas moved on to another town, Berea, and there Paul again preached the Good News of Jesus Christ. Acts 17:11-12 tells us, "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men."
Why were the Bereans of "more noble character" than the people of Thessalonica? It's because they were willing to set aside their biases and preconceptions, and they were willing to listen to Paul's news. Now, they weren't gullible. They weren't going to take Paul's word at face value. The Bereans were open-minded but skeptical. They were willing to listen, but they fact-checked every claim Paul made to see if what he said was true.
People who seek the Truth are noble in God's eyes. The search for Truth is an important quest. The Berean people didn't merely want to have their biases confirmed. They were willing to set aside their biases and prejudices—but only if Paul's message was backed up by evidence from Scripture.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the example of the Berean people in Scripture. Help me to discipline myself to seek Truth and to understand Your Word so that I can explain clearly the hope that is found in You alone. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11).
*This devotional adapted from The Hidden Enemy by Michael Youssef © 2018. Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL. Used by permission.
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