Proverbs 28:23
He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.
 

Why do I sometimes buy into the lie that it is more “loving” to let people remain in their sin, rather than show them their sin and their subsequent need for a Savior.  Love really shouldn’t be like this “hands-off” approach.  True love is active, not passive.  Real love will risk offense for the greater good. 

If my brother is walking off a cliff, the real loving thing to do is to stop him; not let him continue to wander in his ignorant bliss.  And not only to tell him of his fate, but to do anything necessary to redirect his course.  Similarly, in this world, my job is to tell people of their fate; “the wages of sin is death”.   My duty to God is not to tickle their ears with flattery, but to show them the way to the Savior, always speaking the truth in love.

Lord, give me a heart of love; love that knows when to correct and when to “flatter”.  Teach me what it means to speak the truth in love, so that I can become more like Christ.  Amen.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 31st, 2006 at 7:44 am and is filed under Daily Readings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.