Balance between truth and love
Ephesians 4:15-16 “Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ.”
This is where it takes two things that are true to work together to cause us to grow up. We should always speak things that are true but we should speak those things in love. Truth without love and we become a dictator. Love without truth and we open ourselves up to be hurt.
All truth must have supporting truth or we might take one truth and stretch it so thin that we end up in error. It’s true that Jesus saves but that’s not all that He does. He also heals and delivers and we need faith to live the right life before God.
Each truth is like the nuts that hold on your car tire. Any truth tightened to an extreme will end up cracked and any truth held too loosely and your wheel falls of. Each truth needs to be tightened to the right pressure and you will travel safely down the road of life.
Sometimes we are slow to grow up and slow to speak the truth in love. It’s not that we would say something wrong but we may be failing to say anything in love. It’s not like we are being dishonest with our words, but honestly, did we have to say anything at all?
In Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
Living peaceably should be a goal for every believer. Seeking peace is a motive of the heart and that’s where God looks before He blesses us.
When you allow jealousy or anger to flood your heart you will likely go out of your way to start a fight. If you desire to walk in love as you speak the truth then you’ll speak words of kindness and joy on the path that leads to peace.
Major arguments seldom start off as an all-out knock down dragout fight. It’s usually a small statement that leads to a difference of opinion and it’s when someone feels that they are under attack that the war begins.
When your goal is no longer speaking peaceable words in love, your weapons become raised voices, threats, swearing, saying things that you don’t mean, putting down each other, and even hitting.
It’s common for us as we grow up to go through times where we don’t know how we feel about who we are or what we believe. The truth is tomorrow will often reveal the right answer to questions we had today.
It’s important for you to know who God made when He made you. Especially when others try to put you down and call you less than who God made. By knowing who you are, you’ll know who you’re not.
Let me tell you something I believe God believes about you — you are a very special person, you’re one of a kind, you’re an original and you are a masterpiece.
It’s the truth that sets us free so don’t allow unkind words spoken by unkind people have the power to control your future.
Find a good church to attend where you can grow in both truth and love.
God bless you all.