Testing The Truth

Testing the Truth

The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:11

When he was growing up in Tampa, Nathan had a Little League coach who told him, “Put your feet and knees together when fielding a ground ball so it won’t go through your legs.”

Brought up to respect people in authority, Nathan did as he was told, even though it felt very awkward. I guess it would. Stand up and try bending over to field an imaginary ground ball, moving from side to side with your feet and knees together. Not easy, is it? Nathan was pretty sure this wasn’t what he had been taught at home by his dad, a future baseball coach in the Southeastern Conference. So when he arrived home, Nathan asked his father, Scott, if the coach’s instructions were correct.

No, his father confirmed. The coach’s way wasn’t the correct way. But even though the coach didn’t know much about baseball, he was a good guy giving up his time to help the kids with baseball, so Scott advised Nathan to follow his coach’s method at practice, and then come home and work on it correctly so that in the game he would do it the right way.

Like Nathan, we need to test and approve what we are told, especially when it comes to something more critical than fielding ground balls. It’s hard to believe anyone would need to verify the apostle Paul, but here we’re told that’s what the Bereans did. We don’t need to enter and confirm things with a spirit of skepticism, but we should be open to discernment from the Holy Spirit as to what is right and what is God’s truth.

Have you been given conflicting instructions? Sit down with the person who is asking you to do something that doesn’t seem exactly right.

Uncommon Key > Practical matters aside, you should always be ready to test what you hear against the Word of God, to be certain that there is no conflict.