Savage2Saint Sobriety Feb. 26, 2024

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." - Mark 10:21 (KJV).

We have all heard the saying, "Give me one hard truth over a thousand easy lies." I think we can all agree that this statement is true to how we would prefer people to be with us, but is this how we are towards other people? Do we tell the people we care about the hard truth at all costs, or do we skate around the truth because it's easier to tell them what they want to hear? Do we wait until a moment of anger to tell the hard truth, or are we caring in telling people out of love?

In the 10th chapter of Mark, we find the story of the young rich man. The young rich man ran to Jesus, fell on his knees and asked, "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"(vs. 17). Jesus replies, "Thou knowest the commandments," and then recites six of the Ten Commandments (vs. 19). The young man tells Jesus he has done all of these since he was a boy (vs. 20). "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." - (vs. 21). After Jesus spoke these words to him, the young man left sad because he had many possessions (vs. 22).

Jesus gave the young man the hard truth. Not out of anger, but out of love. Verse 21 says that Jesus looked at the young man with love. Too many times we deliver hard truths to our loved ones in anger. When a disagreement reaches the boiling point, we will pull out statements, as true as they may be, in such a way that the hearer is hurt by them, and the truth becomes a hurtful weapon to win an argument and not a helpful tool that encourages. We can't be this way if our goal is to lead our lost family members and friends to the Lord.

I'm speaking to myself more than I am anybody. I have a tendency of being hard on my loved ones when it comes to their behavior. I try to lead by example but get frustrated when I feel like they are making mistakes that could cost them everything. Instead of being direct and to the point, I let things build up and reach a crescendo, then lash out in the way I described in the last paragraph. So, I ask myself this question...what can I do differently that doesn't leave such a negative effect on the person I'm trying to help?

I can start by praying for the person. Jesus didn't seek the young man out and beat him over the head with corrective actions. The Bible says no one can come to Jesus unless he is first drawn by Him. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:..." - John 6:44 (KJV). Start praying that the person will be drawn to the Lord and that you will be the person they come to for help. Paul tells us,"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." - Colossians 4:6 (KJV). Have faith that God hears your prayers and then be ready when the opportunity arrives.

Then, Jesus went to the Word of God to teach the young man. He started by calmly correcting him with scripture. When you take time to explain the Word of God to someone, you are allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to them directly. Then the message is coming from God through you. Study the Word for answers. Not just for your problems, but also for answers to the problems your loved ones are going through. 2 Timothy 2:15 states, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Rely on the promise that God's Word never comes back void. "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." - Isaiah 55:11 (KJV).

Lastly, Jesus delivered the hard truth with love. He didn't beat around the bush. He didn't sidestep the conversation. Jesus told the young man exactly what he needed to hear to strengthen his relationship with his Saviour. The young man had reached a point with his possessions that he idolized them. We don't know whether he accepted the truth or rejected it. All we know is that the young man left sad because of what Jesus told him.

That's the thing about the hard truth. Sometimes the receiving party isn't always going to like it. Sometimes they will receive it, sometimes they will reject it. But they will always have to respect it, when it comes from a place of love. We owe it to our loved ones to lay out the plan of salvation if they don't know it. We owe it to our loved ones to correct them when they are wrong. Pray for your loved ones. Study the Word of God so you know how to answer every man. Then wait on the Lord's Word to prosper in the thing where He sends it.