One of the things that God has been teaching me is how to tell people the truth in love.
By nature most of us gravitate either one of two ways. Either we lean on the side of caution and are very sensitive and don't want to hurt people's feelings or we are just the type of people who tell it like it is no matter what.
But one of the characteristics I love about Jesus is that really he accomplishes both sides of this issue in most of his ministry. On one hand Jesus was not afraid to tell it like it is. His favorite people it seemed to do this to was the Pharisees. Probably because he felt they knew better when they weren't always living out what God wanted them to do.
Still in every person he met, Jesus was able to tell the truth while showing amazing compassion and understanding for their situation. Whenever he told the truth it was always came with a deep portion of spiritual of love.....It's like trying to have a fried chicken dinner without the coldslaw, just doesn't work.
What is remarkable about Jesus was that even in the times where he was brutally honest with people, it still flowed from a place of deep concern for that person. It always was to make that person a stronger and deeper follower of Jesus.
So many times in my life I so want to model that beautiful balance that Jesus had in my life as well. Too often we might get one side of telling people true but we miss the other. Sure most of us can tell the truth but do we always do it along with a spirit of God's love.....
In many of Jesus' saying he begins with I tell you the truth. He was a man and a teacher known because he told the truth. Even when they were trying to trick Jesus in asking him....is it right to pay taxes to Ceasar they begin saying he is a man of truth.
Mark 12:14 reminds us: They came to him and said: Teacher we know you are a man of integrity.
You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.....
May that be the way we model our lives and have people say that of us. That we tell the truth in love.
If it was good enough for Jesus then I know it's good enough for me
Pastor Jonathan
