The Beautiful Blend of Truth & Love
Many of us have heard it. We have lived under it. We have grown up with it even. We are very familiar with its sound: the sound of harsh spoken truth. What do I mean by harsh spoken truth? I mean truth that is spoken to us or over us with no love wrapped around it. It comes at us like a surgeon's scalpel in the hands of an angry man. Though the scalpel itself can be a tool for healing and deliverance, when not delivered in love it hurts and even makes things worse. It is better in those cases that nothing be spoken at all.
One thing I love about the Holy Spirit is His delivery. His voice is absolutely filled with truth because He is the Spirit of Truth. But it is also absolutely filled with love because He is love. He knows how to say what needs to be said and no one walks away feeling condemned. He doesn't make us run from the Father, He makes us want to run to the Father. It's something we must always remember! The voice of truth woos us in, not chases us out or away!
It's a good day to assess. What truth has been spoken to you or over you? Did it come at you with love? Or did it only make you feel condemned? It may have been the truth, but it lacked the Father's heart toward you - His heart that is for you, not against you. His heart that longs to draw you in and reconcile.
We can also ask ourselves a similar question: What truth have I spoken to or over people? How was my delivery? Was it wrapped in love or wrapped in well... not love. Did it make people want to come toward the Father or shrink back from Him? Or maybe it did want them to come to the Father but only out of sheer fear of punishment.
God is absolutely truth and He is absolutely love. He is both and is able to brilliantly be both. And as His children, we are able to learn from Him and speak not just the words that need to be spoken, but also the tone and delivery that makes it an aroma people will be drawn to, not a clanging cymbal that no one wants to hear.
photo: freepik.com
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