A Brick of Truth

I am so thankful to have the Holy One on board to point out the ways I "blow it", yet in a gentle manner that is gracious and forgiving. Yesterday, as I was trying to share Truth from God's Word, I was met with a less than receptive ear. In fact, I guess if posturing could be described, I was actually speaking to the south end of someone going north. The backside, and not the side we normally like to see if we are engaging someone in conversation.

The Holy Spirit called me this morning to discuss the incident further.

He told me that the Word of Truth is like a brick, necessary for each person's faith wall. The He told me that in yesterday's conversation, I was throwing the bricks at their head rather than laying them down gently for the other person to pick up and use in their faith wall. I got the picture.

Then, He took me to 2 Timothy 2:15. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth." A brick of truth hurled at another person can hurt..big time, whereas a brick of truth gently laid before them can be picked up and added to their faith wall.

The Word of Truth, "correctly handled" is powerful and must not be thrown carelessly into the face of those who oppose us. 2 Timothy 2:24 goes further into this instruction, "and the Lord's servant must not quarrel, instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the Truth."

The fruit and manifestation of the Holy Spirit is patience and long suffering not just in the arena of our personal hardships and difficulties but also patience in waiting for others to come to the knowledge that we now have. How patient the Lord is with me when I am so hard-headed and cannot seem to "get" what He is showing me.

When I act out fleshly impatience with the "ignorant" and hurl the bricks of truth at their head, (or backs) the Holy One is quenched from within and His flow of grace outward is interrupted. Point well taken and prayerfully "lesson" learned.

Holy One, please forgive me for past failures and may I always handle the "brick of truth" correctly so as not to dis-grace the One who calls me to lay it down for someone else to accept and use.

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?