Speaking the Truth in Love?
What does it mean to speak the truth in love?
Have you ever noticed that those who claim to speak the "truth in love" rarely are compassionate, loving people?
Wonder why that is?
Rarely do I see the love.
As a mater of fact, most often when I hear someone saying, "I’m just speaking the truth in love" I can be fairly sure it’s not about love or truth. It is frequently about manipulation, control, or some distorted, ego-centric ideal of truth, which isn’t really truth.
It reminds me of Jack Nicholson in the movie, A Few Good Men. You may recall when on the witness stand his character said, "Truth, you want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!" For some reason this high-ranking officer assumed he possessed and controlled the truth. Like many folks in religious circles, he justified his actions as truth while hiding behind his hatred and power.
And that is where the problem lies.
Without love,
there isn’t truth.
For, according to Jesus the supreme reality, the ultimate meaning and value of existence-- the truth--is love.
And love appears to be the truth that many can’t handle,
especially for those so caught up in speaking the truth.
9 Comments:
Rick, I randomly stumbled onto your blog today as it scrolled through the blogger list, thinking that it might have someting to do with emergent Christianity. I'm gonna have to spend more time reading, but I wonder if our journeys are pretty similar. I lifted a small quote from your blog for one of my posts (hope that's ok).
My former boss spoke the truth in love. I learned so much from him. He wanted to see me grow and learn from my areas of weakness so he gently and lovingly helped me to recognize them. He never said an unkind word about anyone even people that were obviously annoying him.
I hope that I speak the truth in love, but I KNOW I say unkind words that are unnecessary at times.
Thanks for a good topic.
oh oh oh
you nailed it today ... just what I needed before I preach this morning.
Truth without love isn't truth at all.
Amen Amen
thank you for this timely word.
Be blessed :)
what is it in some that drives them to be the all-knowing moral compasses (or would that be compi?) for others...?
amy has privy to my email & i just don't know how many more times i can come home to find her weeping over the 'love' that others have to impart for my betterment...
if that be the love of Christ, i would rather spend a toasty eternity in hell...
Every post a sermon to me, friend. Seriously...
I second what Joash said. Your preaching is from the heart and so often exactly the message I need.
be so blessed :)
I love it when people come up to you and, right out of the blue, say "I forgive you". What? Huh? Forgive me for what? Don't you think you should have mentioned it to me if I did something to offend you?
So, any more, when someone pulls that one on me, I just "OK" and walk away.
I know this is a little off topic, but something you wrote reminded me of this. Anyway...
I forgive you!
hehehe
we don't need to tell people they are forgiven. To me that smacks of holding onto it :( or wanting them to be sorry so we can justify forgiving them
forgiving isn't about them deserving it - it's about being obedient to God
and it's hard!
Love. I struggle a lot with being to honest. being viewed as mean and often to blunt. A lady of the Mormon faith used to work here and we spoke of heaven and Jesus and Faith. when she said "I believe in Jesus" she was quick to add stuff to that claim. when I told her of Jesus exclusive claim in Scripture about salvation she called me narrrow minded. when I told her again of Jesus claim about being the only way, she would not speak about it anymore.
but mostly, what I see is that people want to be accomadated with words.
most of us today don't love people enough to deal with the exclusivity of Jesus. we accomadate folks cause they might get their feelings hurt.
so. we may hurt them by our words of exclusivity, but they must be told of His claim on being the "Way, Truth and Life."
this is where transformation takes place. this is what we need.
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