The Starting Point
June 8, 2022
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2 NLT
The comedy routines of late-night show hosts regularly portray politicians as the biggest and loudest self-described truth tellers, but ones who fail to live up to their claims. It’s not surprising when you realize what must be the starting point and accompanying feature of truth tellers. Just before Paul reminds us that our responsibility is to speak the truth in love, he tells us to build on the double-layered foundation of humility and gentleness. He makes it very practical by underscoring that humility and gentleness make us patient with each other and remove the element of blame. When was the last time you saw a political campaign characterized by humility, gentleness, patience—a no-blame zone?
When we speak the truth in love, humility is the starting place. Our words must be wrapped in humility and love, spoken with gentle strength. We seem to believe that speaking the truth requires volume and attitude. The truth is that volume and attitude stop the ears of hearers. They don’t get what we are saying because the tone and presentation pre-empt the message. We must approach the sharing as a means of serving. That’s how Jesus did it. He said that even He didn’t come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). He approached every person as someone deeply loved by the Father, and His words and actions reflected their value.
What about necessary confrontation? Jesus was humbly and confidently adept at that as well. When confronting a problem in someone else’s life, it is crucial to learn to speak truth without pride. Servant leaders like Jesus recognize that genuine love “is not proud” (1 Corinthians 13:4), so they learn to speak the truth without pride. Pride is thinking more highly of oneself than appropriate, seeing oneself as more important and “more right” than others. This attitude will impact what you say and the way you say it.
Speaking the truth without pride requires balance. You can’t just keep quiet and hope for a change. When we fail to speak the truth, we don’t love deeply enough to confront the wrong. We love ourselves or love the relationship, as unhealthy as it is, more than the other person. In Galatians 6:1, Paul instructs us to confront humbly and gently, without any sense of superiority.
Speaking the truth humbly without blame or attitude reveals maturity, and it reflects Jesus. When we speak the truth in love in this way, we grow.
- Since speaking the truth in love with gentleness and humility is a mark of growth and humility, how much have I grown since knowing Jesus? Where do I need the most help?