40 Days of Truth - 29
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of TRUTH
Day 29 | SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE
40 Days of TRUTH
Day 29 | SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE
Ephesians 4:11-16
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
This key section of scripture is particularly poignant to we pastors, as it points to the equipping we are to do in our ministry. But key to that – and to all believers – is that we are to “speak the truth in love.”
In fact, our growth as the body of Christ is dependent on that action as explained in the following words, “but, speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
We were blessed, as my wife and I each grew up in loving homes. Our parents were good providers and guiders and guided us and our siblings by not only making sure went to Sunday school to learn about God, but also by living out their care and love for the family in front of us.
Part of that love was needing to speak the truth. I never remember a time when my parents lied to me or mistreated me or failed to correct and guide me when needed. And so, I never doubted their love or care for me.
In the body of Christ – the church family – we are to do the same. We must care for and share our spiritual gifts with one another. And we should always speak the truth IN LOVE with one another.
Years ago, my wife worked in a bank. One always wonders about phony bills in the bank and how they recognize them. It turns out, they don’t have classes on here is a phony bill… pay attention and weed it out. But, they handle so much real money that if a phony bill came along it was easily recognized as not being real or true.
As we live our lives, we must live in truth. Doing so will help us recognize the false and phony when it comes along.
Prayer: Lord, help me to always seek the truth. You are the truth and the author of truth. Help me to start there… always. Amen.
Ephesians 4:11-16
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
This key section of scripture is particularly poignant to we pastors, as it points to the equipping we are to do in our ministry. But key to that – and to all believers – is that we are to “speak the truth in love.”
In fact, our growth as the body of Christ is dependent on that action as explained in the following words, “but, speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
We were blessed, as my wife and I each grew up in loving homes. Our parents were good providers and guiders and guided us and our siblings by not only making sure went to Sunday school to learn about God, but also by living out their care and love for the family in front of us.
Part of that love was needing to speak the truth. I never remember a time when my parents lied to me or mistreated me or failed to correct and guide me when needed. And so, I never doubted their love or care for me.
In the body of Christ – the church family – we are to do the same. We must care for and share our spiritual gifts with one another. And we should always speak the truth IN LOVE with one another.
Years ago, my wife worked in a bank. One always wonders about phony bills in the bank and how they recognize them. It turns out, they don’t have classes on here is a phony bill… pay attention and weed it out. But, they handle so much real money that if a phony bill came along it was easily recognized as not being real or true.
As we live our lives, we must live in truth. Doing so will help us recognize the false and phony when it comes along.
Prayer: Lord, help me to always seek the truth. You are the truth and the author of truth. Help me to start there… always. Amen.
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