TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE!

 

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

 

TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE!

 

1 Tim 6:11-12

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

 

           In Act 1, Scene III of the famous play, Hamlet, Polonius says: “This above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day,

thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!”

 

           The words “these things” in verse 11 refer to the greedy grasping of those who would be rich. Polonius’ words originally meant that a person can be harmless and good to others only when he is financially sound. Therefore, he must be loyal to his best interests first, then take care of others. The moral teaching of the Bible, however, would give the quote quite another meaning as it connotes the ideas of truth, self-ownership, and individuality.

 

           “But thou” is Paul’s admonition to young Timothy to be different from others. He no longer belonged to himself because he was God’s man. He was to be constantly evaluating himself being sure to maintain those moral traits that are congruent with Christianity.

          

           Being true would require a fight but not a fight with others. It is an internal fight with oneself. Self is the bloodiest of all battlefields, but it is a battle that must be won, and it is only won by laying hold on eternal life.

 

Dear Lord, the world around me has fallen into lunacy and debauchery. Sometimes it feels that I am the one out of sync. Let me, today, be first true to you and then to myself. AMEN