#Tolerance

When a piano is out of tune, it can mutilate a piece of music. I am not a musician, but I so enjoy good music and when a piano is out of tune, it actually hurts my ears. I cannot tolerate it well. A piano tuner always brings special tools to get that instrument back in tune and one of these tools is a tuning fork. When the tuning fork is hit, the sound it makes is a perfect pitch "C' note and he proceeds to turn the screw of the "C' wires until the sound issuing from it perfectly matches or is in absolute agreement with the tuning fork's sound.

Now, he might think he knows how the "C" note should sound and he doesn't need the tuning fork, but just hums the note in his head and uses that sound as his authority. Good luck!! There has to be a true "C" note in order for the tuning to work. There has to be truth outside of himself for accuracy.

You may be able to tolerate an out of tune piano and you may be able to tolerate people with beliefs that are out of tune with the truth and you may feel some pride that you are so tolerant. It does not negate the fact that those beliefs, if not in tune with the truth are actually lies. Tolerance can be deadly. Our society today has moved so far from the truth, it wouldn't be able to recognize it if it smacked them in the face. And, to beat all, our society is proud of being tolerant!

Those people who have recognized the tuning fork to be God's Word and make the claim that IT is the TRUTH and humans need to get 'in tune' with IT are not tolerated. Society's tolerance goes only so far and it's intolerance of anything to do with the Bible or Jesus or even Israel just proves how out of tune it is. We are told we are to hate the sin, but to love the sinner. Yes, that is the right idea, but is loving the sinner just tolerating the sinful behavior that has resulted from the lies they have believed? Can we hit the right note as we talk with them and share truth in a loving way? Are we responsible in any way for how society has declined because we have been so tolerant?

The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.  2 Timothy 2:24 & 25