Jan 22 Devotion: Two Least Favorite Words

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

         As I have been given the privilege to teach classes for the Immanuel International Bible Institute, I have mentioned in class that there are two words that I don’t like. The two words are compromise and speculation. To compromise is to blend two differing positions together to come to a consensus conclusion. To speculate is to guess (whether an uneducated or educated guess) that comes to a conclusion without really having the concrete facts to know matter-of-factly if the speculation is correct. Why do I not like these words or reasoning principles? Because they are unbiblical and contrary to God’s truth.

         To compromise is to not acknowledge God as Sovereign and holy. If you compromise, you have shown that you do not value God’s opinion, which is based in his unchanging truth. You think something else must be added to make it palatable. If you speculate, then you think too highly of your own opinion. Instead of taking God at his revealed word, you feel the need to look for something that is not there or was not important enough for God to put it in his word. When you compare scripture with scripture, you can arrive at the God intended conclusion. But when you speculate, then you have added your thoughts to God’s thoughts unnecessarily.

         Compromise devalues God and speculation exalts man. Does this sound like something that God would be pleased with? Instead of these two things, what should we seek? We should seek truth. God’s truth. Biblical truth. The above verse in John 17 declares that the truth from the word of God is what will sanctify us. Let us look at this word sanctify.

         Sanctify means “to make holy, to purify or consecrate; mentally to venerate, to hallow, be holy, sanctify. (To venerate means to regard with respect and reverence.) When we are sanctified, we are changed into something that honors God because our perspective is godly and biblical. The idea of being set apart for the Master’s use cannot come through improper means. Compromise and speculation do not lead to sanctification. There is no stability of character or foundation to build on. We simply can’t deviate from God and arrive at a proper destination. So, let us leave the compromise and speculation to the worldly. They find it important. We should seek the Lord with an uncompromising, unspeculative heart that only seeks God and his truth.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

In Christ’s Service,

Bro. Adrian Moore

2 Cor. 4:5