SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
Proverbs 27:6 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
One of the hardest things to do in life is to confront a friend who is heading down the wrong path. The Bible is clear that as followers of Christ we are to have such authentic relationships with other believers that we are able and willing to speak honestly into their lives.
My wife on more than one occasion has confronted me when I got home from a meeting with a piece of lettuce in my teeth. She often will ask, “Was there no one at the meeting to tell you that you had food in your teeth?”
I usually tell her it was a meeting with men, and we don’t normally tell each other those things. Then she asks me, “Why not, don’t they care what you look like?”
Paul tells us we are to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). This is a good formula when it comes to speaking honestly with someone. We need to be sure that our motivation is love. We are speaking with the motivation we want to help the other person.
If we are confronting someone just for our benefit, then it is not being done in love. Sometimes people act like jerks. If we don’t have an authentic, meaningful relationship with them they will not receive anything we say. But if they are convinced that we want the best for them then our honesty can be a motivation for transformation.
It hurts when someone points out a flaw in our lives. But the hurt from a friend who loves us is better than the false praise from someone who doesn’t care about us.
Let’s be people who love people and want the best for them. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us see people the way God sees them. Then let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us help them.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me to be willing to speak Your truth in love. Help me to receive truth when it is spoken to me.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”
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