Speak The Truth In Love
“Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
There is a popular saying; “It is hard to confront but easier to stay superficial, and it is preferable to cut people off when there are issues”, but the Bible says, “An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship,” Proverbs 24:26.
An honest answer deepens relationships and keeps our fellowship open and authentic, freeing us to speak the truth in love.
No more lies or pretence. Tell your brother the truth. Remember, when you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
Sensitive topics are difficult even for close friends, yet relationships involve flawed people who make mistakes and get into messes.
Friends need to be able to count on each other, not just for fun and affirmation, but for instruction and correction.
Committing ourselves to a friendship means because we care on a deeply intimate level, we have the courage to speak up when a friend needs to hear tough words.
True friendship comes with joy and responsibility, and to avoid talking truthfully about a situation that’s hurtful, dangerous, or out of God’s will, is to dishonour the friendship and the friend.
When we’ve been trusted with the blessing of friends, we must love them enough to be willing to experience hurt, rejection, and even anger. In the end, truth heals.
Before addressing a difficult situation, if there’s any self-righteousness or the tiniest desire to get even, we should keep silent.
Honesty when it comes to touchy subjects must be accompanied by pure, loving motives.’
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:15, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Always remember that if your words aren’t bathed in love, they’ll hurt rather than heal.