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speak the truth in love

Great conversations are not taught and they are often tough.  No one is good at confrontation.  In fact the number one reason for divorce is a lack of communication.  It is tough to speak the truth in love in some situations.

 

How do we deal with difficult times and people around us and dealing proactively with conflict?  Love always takes courage.  Love is not always easy. 

 

1 Corinthians 13:6b (NASB) --- (LOVE) rejoices in the truth

 

Love is awesome.  But do we really understand love and what it is to love someone else?  It isn't easy.  Love doesn't get excited about the wrong things.  It lifts the right situations and the right actions. 

 

Ephesians 4:15 (NLT) --- 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.

 

Notice what happens when you speak the truth in love.  Growth happens.  Like a baby who grows.  You want them to begin speaking.  But when that baby becomes a teenager your prayer or your question may be more like when will they shut up.  Fact is what comes out of our mouths says we are either mature or immature.  So which is it for you?

 

Good relationships are not shallow, and these relationships take work.  They often are tough.  How willing are we to deal with the truth?  When we are not willing to deal with situations, we leave our relationships are the superficial level.  That's where growth and intimacy can't happen.  Ask: are we really communicating?

 

Do we want to take our relationships to the next level?  Are we willing do to what it takes to move from the surface level to levels of the heart?  Answer those questions.

Comments

Dave Ingland said…
A great word and some immense wisdom! However, in contrast to this, I see a lot of pseudo-love under the disguise of love. Sharing the truth in love is often slang for, "I don't like what you are doing and I'm going to share my feelings with you in a harsh way, but because I am a Christian, you should receive it in love." We must really look deep into our hearts and discern first whether it really is an act of love for others, or love of ourselves that is the motive.

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