"I Will Walk in Your Truth"

"Instruct me, O Jehovah, about your way. I will walk in your truth......" - Psalm 86:11.

* What would cause a Christian to "sell" the truth?

* How can we avoid either drawing away from or drifting away from the truth?

* What are three ways that we can strengthen our resolve to walk in the truth?

RETURNING an item that was purchased is a common practice.  Estimates reveal that in some countries. buyers return nearly 9 percent of items purchased in stores.  The return rate for items ordered online can be more than 30 percent.  Perhaps the buyers found that item did not meet their expectations, was defective, or was just not to their liking.  So they decided to exchange the item or to ask for a refund.  

Although we might request a refund for material goods that we bought, we would never want to return or "sell," the "accurate knowledge" of Bible truth that we "buy." (Read Proverbs 23:23; 1 Timothy 2:4)  As we considered in the preceding article, we acquired the truth by spending much time to learn it. In addition, to buy the truth, we may forgone a lucrative career, dealt with changes in our personal relationships and in our thinking and conduct,. or given up unscriptural customs and practices.  However, the price we pay is small in comparison to the blessings that we have received.

When it comes to Bible truth, our feelings are similar to the those of a man whom Jesus described in a brief illustration.  To show how precious the truth of God's Kingdom is to those who find it, Jesus told about a traveling merchant who searched for find pearls and found one.  In fact, that pearl was of such high value that he "promptly sold" everything he had to buy it.  (Matthew 13:45, 46) Similarly, the truth we found-the truth of God's  Kingdom and all  the other precious truths we learned from God's Word-is of such high value to us that willingly and promptly  made the sacrifices needed to obtain it.  As long as we value the truth and "never sell it."  Sadly, though, some of God's people have lost the sight of the value of the truth they obtained-and have even sold it.  May that never happen to us!  To show that we deeply treasure the truth and that we would never sell it, we must heed the Bible's admonition to "go on walking  in  the truth."  (Read 3 John 2-4.)  To walk in the truth involves living it-giving it priority in our lives and conducting ourselves in harmony with it. Let us consider three questions: Why and how might  some "sell" the truth? 

Next time: WHY AND HOW SOME "SELL" THE TRUTH

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