To Speak The Truth In Love

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ….

Ephesians 4:15

One of the evidences of spiritual maturity is ‘speaking the truth in love.’  We see this in the life and ministry of Christ.  Because Christ is truth, all that He spoke was truth.  Because He is love personified, He always spoke the truth in love.  Therefore, Christ stands as the ever-present example of that to which we aspire.  If we are to be genuinely Christlike, then we will of necessity, speak the truth.  In order to do it in a Christlike way, we must speak that truth in love.  This is beyond all our natural abilities.  Only the work of the Spirt within us will bring us to such spiritually mature behavior.  Having said that, if we do, by the grace of God, speak the truth in love, we may expect the same sort of reception that Christ received.  There were some who ‘heard Him gladly.’  There were others who became His enemies because when He told them the truth, it conflicted with their own thoughts and deeds.  The same will be true for us.  As we proclaim the truth of Christ, there will be some who receive it with joy and gladness; others will not.  What we can hope for, regardless of how others receive us, is that for our part, we continue to consistently go on ‘speaking the truth in love.’  This is Christlikeness.

Our God of Grace and Love,
we rejoice that You have sent us Christ,
Who has not only redeemed us,
but also set forth before us the great example of how to do.
We praise You that as Your Holy Spirit works within us,
He will enable us to, like Christ, speak the truth in love.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning