Buy the Truth and        Do Not Sell It
Joe Slater
	How much does the truth cost? In one sense it, like salvation, is free – you don’t write out a check or hand the Lord your credit card. But in another sense the truth is profoundly expensive – it will cost you everything.
	Solomon wrote, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it” (Proverbs 23:23a). Note that he didn’t say, “Buy the truth if you can get it at a discount.” He just said to buy it! Nor did he say, “Buy whatever you want to believe as long as you’re sincere.” He said to buy the truth! God’s word (the Bible) is truth (John 17:17). To buy the truth is not simply to purchase a Bible at the bookstore, but to learn, believe, and obey what that book teaches.
	No matter what it costs you, when you buy the truth you are getting a bargain! Learning, believing, and obeying God’s word, which is truth, will cost you time. It may cost you some cherished beliefs and opinions. It may cost you some activities that previously brought you much pleasure. You might even have to endure the loss of the approval of treasured friends and family members. I still say it’s a bargain. Why? Because the benefits infinitely out-weigh the cost. Jesus said the truth will make us free from the slavery of sin (John 8:32). Our souls are purified by our obedience to the truth (1 Peter 1:22). It is by the word of truth that we are spiritually brought forth (James 1:18), or, to phrase it another way, “born again” (John 3:3). Is any price too high for the blessings that truth brings? Jesus asked, “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
	In like manner, no matter how rich a price you might receive for selling the truth, it is a losing proposition. Legion are those who have sold out the truth for the sake of ease, popularity, or pleasure. Though they might “enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25), the final result will be disastrous. They will perish eternally because they did not love the truth                    (2 Thessalonians 2:10) or obey the truth (Romans 2:8).
	Buy the truth, and do not sell it!
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God’s Ten Most Wanted
1. The person who puts God’s business ahead of any other business.
2. The person who brings the family to worship rather than sending them.
3. The person who is willing to be the right example to everyone else.
4. The person who thanks more of Sunday school than of a Sunday nap.
5. The person who gives to the Lord first and lives on what is left.
6. The person who assembles with the saints for the Lord’s sake rather than to impress others.
7. The person with a passion to help others rather than to be helped.
8. The person who has a willing mind rather than a brilliant one.
9. The person who sees his own faults before seeing the faults of others.
10. The person who is more concerned about winning souls than about winning worldly honors.
	--via Bulletin Digest (adapted)
The Church
qThe church is not made up of people who believe they are better than others, but rather it is made up of those who realize that they should be better than they are and must continually strive to do better.
qThe church is not made up of perfect people, but of people who realize that they are following a perfect Lord and a perfect law, and therefore must do the very best they can.
qThe church is not made up of people who never make mistakes, but of those who often acknowledge their mistakes and then forsake them. Never must we seek to justify them or continually make the same mistakes.
qThe church is not trying to withdraw from everyone, but rather seeks to draw everyone into its fellowship and love who are willing to walk in the light where God the Father and Christ the Son are found.
qThe church is not trying to set up arbitrary rules to hinder anyone, but rather to show the rule of Christ which helps everyone.
qThe church is not trying to make you feel ugly, but rather is trying to put real joy into every life it touches.
qThe church is not trying to separate you from your money, but rather it is trying to keep your money from separating you from God.
qThe church is not trying to become the master of your life, but is trying to get you to master yourself.
qThe church is not trying to rob your life of priorities, but rather to get you to put the right priorities in your life.
      --Andrew Connally (deceased) via Bulletin Digest