Speaking Truth in Love
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. – Ephesians 4:15
The idea of speaking truth in love to one another is a powerful and profound way we can hear God’s voice through Biblical community. The problem is, by and large, most followers of Jesus have either abandoned this practice or have experienced it in very limited ways.
It has been abandoned by many within the church because they either tried to speak truth in love and it was poorly received, or they were the recipient of an attempted truth in love and became defensive and were hurt. Others have rarely experienced truth in love because of an unwillingness to build strong enough relationships to where there is trust and the needed groundwork in the relationship for speaking truth in love to even happen.
God is calling us back to this critical practice within the church! In order for speaking truth in love to take place as God intended it, we need to foster relationships with other followers of Jesus where trust has been built. In an environment of trust and safety, we give each other permission to speak truth in love. This way when truth is spoken in love, we know that the heart behind it is to bring our thoughts, feelings, motives, desires, and actions into alignment with the heart of our Heavenly Father. We speak and address things with each other that we see do not align properly, with the goal of healing, freedom, and restoration.
When truth is spoken in love, it is gentle and tender, full of grace and humility. When truth is spoken in love, it always agrees with what the Bible teaches and is meant to build up and encourage, not to demean, control, or condemn. When speaking truth in love, we are inviting the Holy Spirit into the room and into the situation, asking Him to lead and guide us. It is His Spirit that brings truth to light and reminds us of all that Jesus spoke and taught.
Today’s Prayer: Lord, help me to develop relationships with other Jesus-followers in such a way that we can genuinely speak truth in love to each other. Help me to courageously speak truth in love in these relationships and to receive with humility truth that is spoken to me in love.
Today’s Challenge: Seek out a relationship this week that could be a safe place to hear God’s voice through speaking truth in love. Have a purposeful conversation about how to create a safe place for this happen.
