One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this reason reprimand them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
Have you ever watched older children boss around their siblings by telling them what to do? They sometimes set a standard for the younger siblings that is more strict and less lenient than the parent’s standard. Why is this the case? Sometimes, the older siblings are focused on their own gain in the moment, but other times they have a completely different goal than the parents. In theory, parents set rules in place to help their children develop into responsible adults, but a sibling may just be looking for control. Their standard is stricter because their focus is on the actions, while a good parent focuses on the heart. The Jewish myths and commandments of men sounded good because they gave concrete ideas about what to do and how to live in religious terms. But these commands never had the power to change a person’s heart.
This problem is still one for us to work through today. In an information age full of audiobooks, podcasts, and news reports, we must practice discernment by living rooted in God’s Word so we can know and follow His truth. We can also seek God through prayer to discern if the voices we listen to come from Him or are merely the voices of other people who do not have God’s view in mind.
- Who are some voices you listen to regularly? How do you practice discernment with the things you listen to and follow?
- Why do we often listen to the commandments of men over God? Why is this naturally appealing?
- Pray and ask God to help you grow in discernment about those you listen to.
