Scripture:

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38 ESV)

Observation:

Here, Jesus explains to Pilate that he came to proclaim the truth, but only those who are "of the truth" will actually accept it. Pilate's responds, "What is truth?" as he stares into the face of God proves that he is, in fact, apparently not "of the truth."

One of the strangest aspects of being a Christian (and being in ministry as a pastor) is the tension of wanting everyone to hear and understand what you have to say, but knowing that not everyone will. That's a tough pill to swallow. On the one hand, we should communicate in such a way that people don't tune us out before we open our mouths (c.f. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable Prov. 15:2). On the other hand, not everyone will listen because not everyone is of the truth. Only those who are of the truth will be receptive to the truth (Jesus).

At the end of the day, we must remember that it is God and not us who determines what that even means to be "of the truth." We do not determine who gets to hear or who gets to respond. That isn't our responsibility. We must trust and obey. God gets to be the sovereign one.

Application:

Our task is to cast the seed of truth everywhere - not to determine where it may or may not grow.

Prayer:

Give me the boldness that I need to speak the truth, the patience to realize that I cannot control what people do with the truth, and the peace to know that what you truly desire from me, God, is obedience and not effectiveness.