The Sweetness of Truth and Love Walking Together!

Read: John 1:14; Acts 17:32-34

I was listening to the words of a false teacher. I describe her like that because this unnamed woman was presenting teachings that were not biblical. What she said stood in stark contrast to what God says in His Word. Her words were not compelling to me first and foremost because they weren't true, but there was something else that made me feel uneasy. Her tone was even. She wasn't what most people might consider to be a poor speaker, but her words seemed to me to be empty not only of truth but warmth.

Sometimes the words we hear or even those that come out of our own mouths are words of truth; but sadly, they are spoken without love. God's grace is sometimes not evident due to the harsh way the truth is expressed.

In the movie version of "The Ten Commandments", Moses described his Egyptian love Nefertiti as beautiful as a Jewel. Zipporah, his soon to be wife comments that a Jewel has brilliant fire but that it gives no warmth. Oh, may the love that the Holy Spirit continues to pour out into our hearts, Romans 5:5, be experienced by those to whom we speak truth.

There is a flip side to the “truth without love" picture. Our lives can also be a demonstration of love without truth. That can be the case if due to fear of rejection, fear of saying the wrong thing, or a simple desire to please others rather than God, Proverbs 29:25; John 12:43, we withhold God's truth. Even when He is prompting us to speak out boldly. It is, of course, risky to share God's truth. After all, we don't know how people might react to God's Word. Sometimes they are delighted to have us say more, and sometimes, they walk away expressing indifference. They might even mock the truth that we hold so dear.

We see this played out in the way people reacted to Paul in Athens in Acts 17:32-34. Some of the people who had listened to Paul's beautiful message, when he spoke of Jesus' resurrection, sneered. Some were ready to hear more at another time, and some even believed. He had reached out to them, having offered them truth spoken in love. So whether it is Paul who speaks or we who do the talking, speaking the truth out of a heart of love pleases and honors the Lord. How do we know that? Because Jesus Himself if filled with both grace and truth, John 1:14. What a beautiful balance of God's heart He showed us.

Even when the Lord was rejected, His love and grace wasn't withheld. Even though He knew His people as a whole, including the religious leadership would reject Him, His tears evidenced His love for them, and He continued to hold out truth, Luke 19:41-44. His earthly walk demonstrated both of these qualities in perfect balance.

This week, I heard the testimony of a lady who had lived in the grip of homosexuality for many years. One morning, both she and the woman with whom she was living by God's sweet drawing realized that what they were doing might be wrong. What followed was a beautiful conversion that involved people who weren't afraid to show them biblical truth without rejecting them. They found a church that welcomed them as they would anyone else. They also lovingly walked with them step by step so they, as we all need to do, could grow in their new walks with the Savior, 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29.

Sadly, some people haven't experienced Christians who have shown them both truth and love. I'm sorry if that has happened to anyone who might read this or someone who is precious to you. May I turn our eyes back to Jesus so that we can remind ourselves how deep God's love is? To see this, I would like to use an incident from this week to paint that picture.

The first NFL game was played on Thursday night. The National Anthem had been sung, and the football had been kicked off. Then something happened before the first snap of the game.  The commentators were shocked when one player spit at another. Everyone who spoke of that incident echoed the sentiment that it was unbelievably disrespectful and that there was no excuse for such an action. That was not the way that a man should act. I agree wholeheartedly with all those sentiments, and that ugly incident caused me to think about Jesus. God in the flesh. The One filled with grace and truth. The One Who went around doing good and healing those who needed His touch. The One Who committed no sin and neither was guile found in His mouth. The One they spit on. Not only once but twice. Both His own people after the flesh and the gentiles, during their separate trials spit on the Creator/Redeemer, Matthew 26:67; Mark 15:19. Why would He endure this and so much more? It is because He loved the world. That includes each of us. He still reaches out in love even when we His people, sometimes don't express it as we should.

Lord, may no one fail to receive Your unfathomable love because of the imperfections of Your people.