Skip to main content

Speaking Truth in Love

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV

We are in the throes of “silly season.” That is what we call election season in my line of work. This season, which started early this go-around, is wrought with vitriol, lies, and, at best, strongly worded critique about ideas that oppose our opinion and understanding of the truth. The bitterness is played out in living color on television and in the cesspool that is social media. There is no shortage of strong opinions and, frankly, it can be overwhelming.

I caught myself experiencing a lot of anxiety about the outcome of the election and have spewed my own negative talk.  Recently, I heard the Spirit of God saying, “Cut it out!” His charge to me was reflected in the words of Paul in Ephesian 4. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29-32.

No matter where we sit on the political spectrum, Jesus has called us to something different. If the biblical principles of humility, patience, gentleness, compassion, forgiveness, unity, and speaking truth in love seem to be at odds with what we are experiencing right now, they should be. If those same biblical principles are not a part of our discourse as believers, maybe they ought to be.

It is high time for believers to take a collective deep breath and ask our Father for guidance, wisdom, and hearts of humility. The next time you feel compelled to respond to bitterness with bitterness, try experimenting with being kind and forgiving others. We might say, “But they don’t deserve that!” True, but neither do we, yet God still forgave us.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My sister died

I never thought in a million years that I would have to say, "My sister died." Her name is Alycia. She fought a long fight with cancer that ended up wreaking havoc on her body. I loved her. I loved her deeply. It is surreal that she no longer takes up space on the planet. I was there when she died. I saw her in the casket and saw the casket lowered to the ground. The last time I talked to her was the Thursday before she passed. She was not using a lot of words, but she knew I was there. She told me she loved me and that she knew that I loved her. The rest of the time was moaning here and there. She wanted me to move some pillows. That was the last time. On Friday, we turned her, cleaned her, and talked to her, but she could not respond. One Saturday, I went in throughout the night to make sure she was breathing. I missed her 1 a.m. meds, but woke up about 5 a.m. or so and gave her a dose. Talked to her. I went back asleep and got on a prayer call about 7. Before I got on the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Church on Trial

  Church on Trial He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 Here’s a brief summary of Micah 6. Through the prophet, God put His people on trial and, as if in court, made a case against them. He testified of His goodness to them and witnessed that they had rebelled and rejected Him in return. After being put on trial, the people replied to His charge by essentially saying, “You ask too much!” They listed a string of rituals and impossible requests. They essentially told God that He was impossible to please. “What do You want from us?”, they implored. God’s response was one not filled with rules and temple rituals, but one that instructs them on how to ultimately please Him. What was God saying through the prophet? What is He saying to His people? Do Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly. Do Justice - Give yourselves to others and, don't just seek justice, but serve justice. Ac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back to Basics

As a young singer in high school, I had the privilege of being able to take voice lessons. Altogether, I took lessons for about 15 years or so. Although singing can be fun and is a performance art, voice lessons are not very glamorous. It is marked by hours of mundane practice - woodshedding. The most common teaching theme I learned was, “Don’t get too fancy” and “Practice the fundamentals.” They stressed that for me to grow as a vocalist, I needed to practice my vocalises and stick with the basics of sound vocal production. Only then would I be able to perform increasingly difficult pieces. The Apostle Peter instructs, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." (1 Peter 2:2 NIV) Peter’s allusion to babies and milk is interesting. How basic is that? I’m reminded of the instruction given to us in my childhood congregation when someone got saved. The instruction was to 1) Read your bible and pray daily and 2) Fast. It was ...
Post a Comment
Read more