Love and Truth Telling…blog.optimuschoice.com

17. May 2010 by BruceSmith.

Love and Truth Telling: blog.optimuschoice.com

Life Thought: The 2nd commandment is a call to Love, not niceness. You will never win a soul by merely being a disciple of niceness. Biblical love confronts, reproves, directs, and is willing to sternly fight for truth in the heart and mind of another. If you doubt this review the life of Christ again. He often loved by rebuking, sternly contradicting errant people, and getting right to the heart of a matter. And He IS love.

Are the gospel’s stories of Jesus as compelling for us as they ought to be? Are we willing to see Jesus as He really is? The answer may depend upon how passionate we are about about embracing and walking in truth in our own lives. For is we are lovers of truth and lovers of others, we will not settle for a religion of niceness. We will not accept the idea that the extent of our call is to “nice” people into heaven. Sometimes, often perhaps, niceness, or the avoidance of controversy, is not enough.

In the life of Jesus (as he runs people out of the temple, as he heals and then sternly warns, as he restores and then rebukes patterns of living, as he ruthlessly tells spiritual leaders who they really are inside, as he tells his closest friends they are inspired by the devil, as he points to people’s duplicity and lack of sincerity…) we find a God who loves people, and a God who knows love requires allowing people to see themselves as they are. Jesus never niced peopled into heaven and He never was shy about getting right to the spiritual matter in a conversation. 

Surely Jesus was the kind of guy people were drawn to. And surely He was the kind of guy people wanted to kill because of His lifestyle, views, and teaching. He knew how to deliver a soft, kind word in the right time and place, and He knew when the occasion called for a direct glare, plain truth, and biting correction.

The life of faith, the love walk of faithful people, God-seekers, lovers of others, is a call to love and tell according to wisdom. There are times when its mercy and softness that are needed. And there are times when the protective gloves of truth must be removed and a battle for the truth of God must be fought for in the heart of another. 

Are you prepared to speak the truth? In love? Whether or not that love needed requires a bit of force? Or have you cowered into the weak corner of the religion of the nice? Is your default to run from a battle for truth with your kids, spouse, close friend? Are you willing to study, know, and apply the truth of God in your interactions? Do you know the critical doctrines of biblical revelation well enough to engage the rebellious heart and misguided mind of someone you care about? We are called to study to show ourselves approved, and we are called to be “ready” in season and out, to present a reason for the hope which is within us. If you want to know this God, how He loves others, how He reaches others, how He changes others, then spend time learning His revealed truth. He has revealed Himself indeed.

May we be imitators of the life of Christ (God in fleshly form), knowing, loving, and passionately pursuing His truth, and loving others as the situation requires. Tenderness, compassion, grace, mercy, and yes, a willingness to confront with the truth… its all part of knowing, loving, and serving Him, and contending for the lives of others.

And one final word, prayer, our lifeline to God, must be the canvas for all of it. Jesus, again, is our model. He was regularly removing Himself from others in order that He might stand in the gap for others. Its truth in love, a love of truth, and its about having a loving truthful walk with Him and those He brings into our path. 

Grace, Peace, and Truth,

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org 

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