Truthing: Helping others live in God's reality rather than their own personal illusion

Speaking truth can sometimes be hard especially when the hearer doesn’t want to hear it.

But truth IS simple - there’s no adding, subtracting or strategizing when we speak it, it’s just simply the truth.

Have you ever seen a piece of tarnished silver? At first glance, it’s not pretty, but once polished, there is a brilliance that is breathtaking!

So it is with untarnished Truth wrapped in love. It’s beautiful because it’s devoid of personal opinion & is rooted in the very personhood of Truth, Jesus Christ!

Today I learned of a Greek word that literally means, “Truthing”.

The word, “alētheúō” is found in Ephesians 4:15 when Paul exhorts us to, “speak the truth in love.”

It’s the act of speaking reality into a person's life, making a record of what God deems is fact, vs. their personal perception.

The tricky part comes with the how 👉🏽 “In love”.

Truthing IN LOVE carries one primary purpose: to equip others to live in God's reality rather than their own personal illusion.

It’s easy to speak truth unkindly when our aim is to convince someone of our own personal convictions.

The delivery is vastly different, however, when we remember that we’re called to be delivery people who simply carry The King’s love-wrapped message of Truth.

Tangibly “Truthing” can be hard, but if we approach the conversation with a question, (Can I ask you a question, Can I share something with you, Have you thought about…) it allows for caring dialogue instead of demanding directives.

Sometimes, we make decisions that seem good, but we can’t see the far-reaching implications of them. I can think of many times that someone loved me enough to speak truth in love, saving me from years of heartache if I’d kept the course!

I can also think of other times I WISHED somebody had spoken truth so that I wouldn’t have suffered the terrible consequences of my poor decisions.

So how about you? Is there someone in your life whom you care for deeply that is about to make a poor choice that could have massive implications in the future?

Ask the Lord if He’s calling you to be a messenger of Truth, & if so, to inform your approach so that it’ll be saturated with His extravagant love & care.

#OneYearBible

September 25th One Year Bible Readings

ISAIAH 45:11-48:11

EPHESIANS 4:1-16

PSALM 68:19-35

PROVERBS 24:3-4

When Jesus’s view from the cross BECOMES our view, temptations fade like worthless trinkets

If today were our last day on God’s green earth, & if it arrived with us hanging on the cross, our view of this fading world & all it has to offer would do just that - it’d fade.

There would be no beauty or gem or treasure that could hold our gaze more than the thoughts of eternity that’s just a few breaths away…

When Jesus hung on the cross, it was for freedom’s sake. He redeemed us, ransomed & rescued us from the eternal consequence of sin so that we might live in freedom!

Y’all! The more we consider the sufferings of the Redeemer FROM the world, the less likely we’ll be to fall in love WITH the world.

It’s absolutely essential that we remember His view as He hung on the cross…anything this world had to offer was as rubbish to Him. If for just one moment a day, we pondered the cross, remembering what He did SO THAT we might be free, we may not  be so quick to return to the world’s go-to comforts as a dog returns to its vomit.

I recently watched a movie called, “Redeeming Love” (based on the book by Francine Rivers.) it’s about a man who is led by God to marry a woman who’s spent the majority of her life held in prostitution.

He buys her freedom, but because of her feelings of unworthiness, she continues to return to prostitution…she tries to “pay” her husband back, but he refuses to be intimate with her until she finally understands that he needs nothing, nor wants anything FROM her-he just wants HER…

The story is based on the prophet Hosea who was instructed by God to marry Gomer, a woman who worked as a prostitute. It seems awful until you realize that God’s aim was to illustrate His undying, ransom-like love for His people.

I could write for hours….what hits my heart big this morning is this:

He loves us.

Period.

No striving needed nor accepted…AND when we finally fully comprehend it, we begin to receive it in such a way that His view on the cross BECOMES our view…the lures of this world begin to fade like worthless trinkets.

May you know your inexplicable worth in the Father’s eyes today! He loves you so much that He let His Son die with your sin so you could live a life free from sin, even unto eternity!

Oh, how He loves us…💞

#OneYearBible

September 21st One Year Bible Readings

ISAIAH 37:1-38:22

GALATIANS 6:1-18

PSALM 65:1-13

PROVERBS 23:24

Facing Uncertainty?

Are you facing uncertainty today? Maybe in your future, your finances, physical health or family? I am on various levels and it can feel scary if we keep our gaze on the unknown.

I just read King David’s encouragement in Psalm 56 & it’s such a great reminder of what to do when we don’t know what to do.

When scary & uncertain times surface, he turns to his certain God to steady him & prays:

“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

I praise God for what he has promised.

I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?”🤔

I LOVE the next part - like I can see him raise his hands like this 🤷🏻‍♀️

“What can mere mortals do to me?

This I know: God is on my side!”

Y’all I’m not sure what you’re facing today, but it is merely mortal in light of our immortal, eternal and mighty God!

We may not know what’s ahead, but we DO know The One Who is leading 😉

May you turn to The Certain One in your times of uncertainty and let Him steady your gait as you walk forward in the fog, trusting His faithful lead.

#OneYearBible

September 12th One Year Bible Readings

ISAIAH 10:1-11:16

2 CORINTHIANS 12:11-21

PSALM 56:1-13

PROVERBS 23:6-8