“Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well.”
~ Proverbs 23:23
In this world, falsehoods are cheap and pervasive. But divine truth is costly.
There is a price tag attached to it.
You cannot buy truth with physical money. It can only be obtained by heaven’s currency.
Here are four of truth’s costs:
1. Humility
God reveals His truth to those who are humble of heart. According to James, who opens his letter with a discussion on how to receive wisdom, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Jesus said, “I’ve hidden these things from the wise and prudent, but have given them to babes.”
Isaiah the prophet asks, “Who shall He teach truth?”
The answer. “Those who are weaned from the breasts.” In other words, the infants. The humble of heart.
Those who are proud are blinded to truth even while they think they know. But those who become like little children will receive wisdom from the Lord.
2. Obedience
Jesus said, “He/she who does my will shall know . . .”
The Lord requires that we obey the light that you currently have before He gives more light.
Has God stopped revealing things to you?
Then go back to the last thing He taught you and respond to it in faithful obedience. Then He will give you more.
The revelation of truth stops when we stop responding to it.
3. Patience
“Wait upon the Lord and He shall . . .” says the Scriptures.
Yes Tom Petty, “the waiting is the hardest part.”
There is a death, a self-denial, attached to waiting. It runs against the self-gratification of the flesh.
Sometimes the Lord reveals His mind instantly. But often it takes patient waiting to secure it.
4. Diligence
Paul told Timothy to “study to show yourself approved.”
Discovering divine truth requires time studying the Scriptures and reading/listening to other parts of the Body of Christ, both past and present. It requires time meditating on the things of God as the Psalms encourage.
The riches of Christ are deposited in His Body. Only a proud person can say, “I will gain all truth on my own; I don’t need to read or listen to other Christians.”
Paul rebuked this way of thinking in 1 Corinthians 12. “The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you.”
Seeking God for light also involves diligence. “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him,” Hebrews says.
Study, learning, and discovering what others have been given by God requires diligence.
Proverbs has much to say about how God rewards the diligent and how the lazy suffer loss.
Christ is Truth. Waking in His Spirit, which involves humility of heart, obedience of will, patience and diligence of mind is the pathway to receiving light from God.
This is how we “buy truth” with heaven’s currency.
P.S. If you didn’t get to listen to last week’s amazing recording of the new Christ-exalting missional song, click here to listen to it.The vocal talent and music quality trumps most studio recordings by professional artists.
Thanks Frank, that was a real encourager! Heavens economy is directly opposite to the world’s, blessings.
Great post Frank. And thanks for emphasizing “diligence”. Words like this almost seem to be like a “bad word” in some Christian circles these days. Some seem to be throwing fruitful diligence out in the non-works bathwater.
Frank,
“The revelation of truth stops when we stop responding to it.” This is a statement I’m going to be meditating on! Also, the advice on waiting can’t be overstated. Last summer, the Lord finished opening something to me that He started revealing about 7 years ago! That was a lot of waiting but the process was important, & the wait was worth it. Blessings.
Exactly the encouragement I needed to hear today. Thank you!
Very well put but I want to tell a story about patience.
I have waited 6 years to get the meaning of one scripture 2 Ti 2:4. He highlighted it one day but did not reveal it to me for 6 years. I tried everything I could think of, nothing satisfied me that this was what He was telling me. I just knew that I knew there was a nugget of gold here. One day as I read the scripture, the word entangles just got highlighted. I looked the word up and it all made sense but it could not make sense in any other time in my life. He had to teach me so much more that was a foundation for what that scripture meant. He also rewards hunger for Him. It was such a cool moment. He was happy and so was I.
Other times I will just ponder something for a long time. When I go in worship Him, just pure loving worship for the Holy One I will find “in my back pocket” the answer. It always as if on the way back to this reality, He slipped some revelation into my back pocket. He is so cool. He rewards our love. He is so so brilliant, and creative it is mind blowing.
Petty did indeed say the waiting is the hardest part. But he also said “I won’t back down.” Just a playful observation.
This is a solid teaching, Mr. Viola. Each element has points to consider and ask our Father to water in all of us, so they may one day bear fruit.
Diligence hit me the hardest. I am earnestly seeking to take Ephesians 4:11-16 and put flesh on it, so to speak, this side of Heaven, since it is a truth I fear many have become woefully ignorant about. This requires me, as a prophet, to listen intently to others who flow in different equipping gifts, and it has been a task of much discomfort. Yikes! But in the end, I know it is all for my benefit. I simply wish it didn’t sting so darn much.
There are more people than we probably realize who are of a certain condition that make this impossible. This purchase cost must be devastating to those who have disabilities such that they cannot pay the price for Truth, or at least not the full price. Yes, truly heartbreaking. But too, maybe Father sees to it that they can somehow be advised by others about his things, and then study on his things in their minds and hearts to the best of their ability, if possible. I am sure that Father gives his children who are disabled a way to find his things, and what others say and write, now and in the past. I know people who are disabled in such ways. It may or may not sound silly, but that is my only comment regarding the stated requirements in this writing.
I don’t think anyone is barred from these things. I have friends who are deaf and they can read. I have friends who are blind and they can hear and listen to audios. I guess if you’re thinking of someone who is deaf and blind, but that is extremely rare and I’m sure God will take care of that.
Frank, great post. I always wondered what “buying the truth” could mean in Proverbs and this really helps. Great encouragement.
I have found this to be very true over the years.
Your post inspired a lyric/poem; I tried to cover all four costs, in two stanzas:
Heaven’s Currency
1.Don’t regard
Yourself with status
Take the lowest place
Allow The Lord
To lift you up
With His Truth and Grace
His yoke will be easy
Daily walking
Obediently
May we look
To buy the truth
with Heaven’s Currency
2. Wait
On the Lord
He will strengthen you
He will continue
His Good Work
All your days through
Keep pressing in
To know the life
That’s truly free
It’s the price
Of the Truth
Bought by Heaven’s Currency
-Roy Bowman 2012
I came across your blog thru reading reviews of an A.W. Tozer book, on Amazon, around a month ago. Since then, I have read P.C., and Reimiagining Church. Keep up the good work. God Bless.
Thanks for posting and thx. for reading those two books. Though they aren’t my favorite that I’ve written nor my best. See the post “The Artist’s Favorite Work” – http://frankviola.org/books
I am lover of truth and I indulge in it. This reminds me of the parable of how the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Thanks Frank for this post. I’ll keep it for review again and again. I needed it.
Thanks for this post and needful reminder. This is one of those posts that you put on the mirror in the bathroom or on the refrigerator. In this age of easy info we need reminders like this that there is a cost and nothing of value is gained or received without out a price.
Wow…thanks for these reminders. The cost is sometimes easily forgotten on my part. But the Lord is so worth it!