Introduction: As humans, we are social beings with many intentions, one of which is forming relationships. The sensation of being in a relationship starts in the womb when a baby feels the comfort of their mother. The hope is that everyone born of a woman will one day experience the benefits of a relationship. So, no matter what kind of person the child becomes, one thing is certain: no one wants to be alone and lonely.
As the child grows, they learn how the world works and the truth within it, but they must make a choice. The need to be with others who may or may not agree with the truth, and the desire to stand up for the truth. At first, it may not seem like a dilemma, but over time, the child realizes that the world they live in doesn’t celebrate truth—it silences it.
The decision is very real because the world seeks comfort. However, truth seeks truth that would not let the seekers rest until they find and share it with others. As the child grows into an adult, they soon realize that there is no joy in being alone or feeling lonely. Yet, they know that speaking and standing for the truth comes with consequences, that is, the possibility of being the lone voice in a marketplace of multiple and often contradictory voices.
Sometimes, these truth seekers and messengers find others with similar goals, such as fellow truth seekers and bearers. Sometimes, they don’t. They live, work, and go through life carrying a burden—a burden that won’t leave their mind, no matter how much they try. The burden is nothing less than speaking the truth in love. They try to hold on to friends and sometimes family. Yet, when they speak and act, their words and actions can push people away from them, not because of their own doing but because of the burden of truth they bear.
Costs: Soon, they realize that the ultimate cost of upholding the truth goes beyond feeling lonely because physical death becomes a real possibility. At first, they understand they don’t want to die, but soon, they discuss the possibilities of physical death with their close friends. Then, they recognize that physical death is only a temporary separation, because spiritual death—separation from God, their Creator—is worse and unthinkable. They realize that God has given them a gift meant for a world filled with lies and deception. Like the baby in the womb, they discover that the most profound relationship is with their Creator. This relationship is stronger than sibling love, parental love, passionate or romantic love, and brotherly love. They understand they are here for a purpose: to show the world that lies, deception, and hypocrisy do not last—truth always prevails, no matter how long it takes for people to see it.
No matter how they speak, whether in simple fashions, low and friendly tones, or with commanding voices that tremble and frighten the hearers, the world does not listen to them. These messengers to a deaf world are everywhere worldwide. Some are prophets, others are preachers with little or no following or formal education. Some are without titles or a stage to speak, while others are just everyday people.
Every truth-bearer and doer knows the danger of standing and speaking the truth. They follow the examples of those who went before them: Abel lost his life for sacrificing a more acceptable offering than Cain; People mocked and rejected Noah when he preached salvation to a perishing world; Abraham had to leave his extended family behind when he followed the Truth. Moses fought for the liberation of the oppressed and lost his privileged benefits as a prince. Time will not permit going through every truth-bearer. The prophets were killed and exiled, and Daniel and his friends faced difficult situations. People killed the apostles just as they had killed the prophets before them. Ultimately, Jesus, the Truth Personified, carried His own cross for the sake of truth.
The trend that started thousands of years ago has never stopped. Throughout recorded history, the world has lost many to untimely and mysterious deaths, not because God could not protect them, but due to many reasons, one of which is that it is the price to pay. Every culture can point to numerous individuals who have died for standing up for the truth as revealed in their time. The blood of the martyrs has, and will always be, the seeds of truth for the next generation. They know it is better to live a short, productive life that reflects truth to the ends of the earth than to live a long life filled with hypocrisy and lies to self and others.
Contemplation: So, you may ask, why would anyone knowingly put themselves in a situation where their message is not accepted? Why would someone put themselves in a position that invites hatred, threats to life and property, and a constant rejection by close companions? The answer to these questions and similar ones varies. However, it rests on a single principle. That principle is the greatest ethic, which is love. When you study history or look at the lives of those killed for speaking the truth, you’ll eventually hear them say they act out of love—love so deep that they can’t stand by and watch others be deceived or taken advantage of. Some would say, they do what they do because they love their country, their own people, or to protect future generations, or the unborn children. The language of love drives the desire to seek the truth that transcends language itself. At last, the saying is true, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Conclusion & Questions to Ask Ourselves: While no one wants to die alone, we are all given talents to use and proclaim the wonderful works of God (Matthew 25). If the first man, Adam, was put in the garden to cultivate and keep it, do you not think God has given you at least one talent to cultivate and care for His creation? So, we must always ask ourselves the following: Am I part of the solution, or do I merely uphold the status quo for the sake of comfort, knowing deep down that what is happening is wrong? How would I like to be remembered when I die? What do I want God to say about me when I finally see Him: “Good and faithful servant” or “Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness”? Is my expression of love the kind God would approve, or is it humanitarian and self-serving love? Am I part of the majority that seeks acceptance from the world, or part of the minority that has surrendered so God can work through them to reach a dying and perishing world? There are many more questions to ask. No one can answer these questions for you but yourself. I encourage you: it is best to be alone with your Creator in this temporary world than to be surrounded by lies and spend eternity without your Creator. It is best always to seek, stand, and be a messenger of truth wherever you find yourself. The good is an enemy to the best; seek the best that God desires for you, which brings eternal joy, and not the good that the world wants you to embrace, which brings eternal regret. Jesus is the Personification of Truth, and He remains actively involved in the world through you and me as we dedicate our lives to Him. Will you afford Him a genuine opportunity to communicate the truth to a dying and perishing world?