2 TIMOTHY 3:10-13 WALKING THE PATH OF TRUTH

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Words can be employed as tools of deception. It is through the use of words that we manipulate others into disliking or not trusting someone, doing something we would not do, believing a lie or even destroy themselves. From experience, we know we cannot believe everything we hear, but how are we supposed to discern what is true and what is not? Perhaps the best way is to know the source of the words. Has this person a good track record of honesty and trustworthiness? One way we can answer that question is by looking at the way the person lives her life. Do her words match her actions? Does she speak negatively about someone to me and then act like that person’s best friend when she around them? When there is integrity between what a person says and how he lives his life it is a good indication that what he says can be trusted.

But there is even a higher level of assurance that is sometimes available. You can be sure of the person’s teaching when he maintains his message even through suffering and persecution for that message. People have a very difficult time suffering for something they believe in, and certainly will not suffer for something they know is a lie. Lies are all about self-promotion and self-preservation, not self-sacrifice.

In St. Paul, we have not boasting, but evidence for the truth of his message. What he taught was backed up by how he lived, and in addition, he willing suffered for it. Because of that we can believe what he teaches. But more than that, we can receive a pattern for living our lives as faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ in a world that is hostile to his Gospel. We need to learn to ask the following questions before we “teach” anything about God and his Church. Is this important enough to me that I am willing to suffer for it? And, is my life aligned with what I am going to teach? Of course, the ultimate question is whether it is glorifying to Christ and edifying for my neighbor?

Lord Jesus, may I ever be an instrument of your life-giving truth. Empower me through your Spirit to have the faith of St. Paul and to get beyond speaking the words of truth to the acting according to the words of truth. Strengthen me to endure opposition so that I will give no one the opportunity to doubt your truth. Amen.