This is a follow up post to this post and this post…I had no idea this would end up being a series! It centers around Ephesian 4:15 and the issue of speaking truth in love.
As we’ve already noted, speaking truth in love is not easy. Most people can’t or won’t do it. Many people speak truth but forget the love.
Here’s another common pitfall:
Speaking truth in love does not mean sharing with a friend the issues you have with someone when you haven’t confronted the individual you need to…even when it’s cleverly disguised as a prayer request!
That’s NOT speaking truth.
It’s COWARDICE.
That’s NOT confronting in love.
It’s GOSSIP.
…Don’t give in to that temptation. If you’re the one telling the tale – CUT IT OUT! If you’re the one listening to someone else – confront them. Tell them not to talk to you about a person when they won’t talk to the person they have the issue with. They might get hurt…maybe even mad. That’s OK!
Refuse to give an audience to that kind of trash.
No good will come from it.
