Read: 2 Timothy 2:14-19
This past week I heard that baseball games before 1859 had home plate umpires that would sit in padded rocking chairs while calling balls and strikes. After doing some in-depth research, (Google) I learned that some reports said umpires would sit in their chairs 20 feet behind home plate. I’m not sure how accurate you could be from that far back. I’m also not sure how accurate my research was, because how do you know what to trust and what not to trust on the internet?
Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” What he meant by that was that truth remains truth, and the facts don’t need to be remembered because it will always remain true. Falsehoods are made up and are therefore more difficult to recall. By the way, one website claimed that a young Mark Twain was one of those early umpires that called games from a rocking chair.
In a world filled with deceptive websites, dishonest tweets, fake Facebook posts, and biased news reporting, how are we to know what to believe as honest truth? In each situation the answer to that might be different, but each of us needs to seek after truthful sources and not be swayed by unreliable chatter. With life situations, God’s Word is always the source to start with.
In 2 Timothy 2:14-19 we are encouraged to handle the truth correctly and be honest in our business, relationships, and interactions with each other. It says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
We can’t always control the honesty of others, but we can choose to be truthful and honest in our own lives. Proverbs 12:22 says, “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” It may not matter too much if umpires, such as Mark Twain, once relaxed on rocking chairs behind home plate. But it does matter if our family, friends, and colleagues can count on us to be honest with them. Make honesty something you are known for!
Make it Personal: How is honesty and truthfulness in your life? Some people struggle with this more than others, but for all of us the temptation is there. Ask God to help you overcome the temptation to deceive or twist the truth. Live a life of integrity and truth that honors God and your life will be much easier and less complicated. In fact, Mark Twain says that you won’t have to remember anything.
