II Timothy 4:3 “The time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching. But people will find more and more teachers who please them. They will find teachers who say what they want to hear.”
One of life’s perfect pairings is chocolate and nuts, and for me, the Snickers bar tops that chart. So, as I perused the store shelves for my Halloween give-away candy and spied a bag of “Fun-Sized” Snickers, I knew I had hit jackpot. Gathering up an armful of Snickers-fun, I headed home excited over the “fun” this candy would be for my trick or treaters.
However, when I opened the bag, I stared in disbelief. The size of the “Snickers fun” was itty-bitty, and I thought to myself, “Since when is a microscopic Snickers bar more fun than a full-sized bar?”
I had been duped by propaganda!
Propaganda has been around since the beginning of time. Satan, the master and inventor of propaganda, in his first interaction with Eve in the garden, planted a seed of doubt against God. That seed of propaganda grew into what Eve perceived as reality.
The theme verse above brings back memories of my “Fun-Sized” Snickers. Years after Eve, the apostle Paul warned of propaganda circulating among the church. Its words offered what was pleasing to hear but its message altered truth. Paul knew we have the tendency to hear what we want to hear and believe what pleases us.
Jesus spoke radical, non-altered truth. He taught that we should treat others in the same way we treat ourselves, but we often tweak it slightly to say, “Treat others as you treat yourself if they deserve it.” Jesus’ truth instructed honesty in all things, but we tend to overlook our little white lies. Jesus’ truth said to love our enemies, but we find it easy to modify that to, “Love those who agree with you politically and religiously.” Ever-so-slight changes made to Jesus’ words may please us, but they radically alter His truth.
Friend, God’s truth is not ours to change, tweak, or stretch, even when it is pleasing to hear, so be on guard. Remember, all it took were two little words – “fun” and “sized” – to convince me a tiny Snickers bar was way more fun than a fill-sized Snickers bar.
Father God, may we ever search for truth.
Blessings,
Rita Cochrane