Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6. Positivity feels nice but is not a substitute for the truth said in love.
Simon Ayrton on October 29, 2019 at 9:35 am Author
Thanks for your comment Ben, I wonder if you would be willing to expand on what you mean by your comment? It could appear that you are suggesting that one has to make a choice between being positive or “speaking the truth in love”? That one is a substitute for the other? I think you are right that speaking the truth in love is very powerful and commanded by Scripture but we are also commanded in many places to encourage each other and they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In my experience there is far too much criticism/judgement of each other in our churches and Christian circles and not enough truthful encouragement? Thanks for talking the time to comment.
I should be clear that I’m not encouraging discouragement; however, I find that there is a strong undercurrent of popular psychology in much of today’s preaching. Well known preachers like Joel Osteen have replaced truth with simply trying to make people feel good.
There is a difference in the type of judgment that tears down and the necessary judgment that clearly divides right from wrong and is intended to lift up. This is why the word says that “mercy and truth have kissed.” There has to be truth in our words but not without a redemptive aspect.
Positivity doesn’t have to be excluded from the truth, but the truth has to be the prime mover or else positivity will be provide only a temporary cure.
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What a blessing your messages are to me! I always feel uplifted when you preach/teach☺
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6. Positivity feels nice but is not a substitute for the truth said in love.
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Thanks for your comment Ben, I wonder if you would be willing to expand on what you mean by your comment? It could appear that you are suggesting that one has to make a choice between being positive or “speaking the truth in love”? That one is a substitute for the other? I think you are right that speaking the truth in love is very powerful and commanded by Scripture but we are also commanded in many places to encourage each other and they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In my experience there is far too much criticism/judgement of each other in our churches and Christian circles and not enough truthful encouragement? Thanks for talking the time to comment.
I should be clear that I’m not encouraging discouragement; however, I find that there is a strong undercurrent of popular psychology in much of today’s preaching. Well known preachers like Joel Osteen have replaced truth with simply trying to make people feel good.
There is a difference in the type of judgment that tears down and the necessary judgment that clearly divides right from wrong and is intended to lift up. This is why the word says that “mercy and truth have kissed.” There has to be truth in our words but not without a redemptive aspect.
Positivity doesn’t have to be excluded from the truth, but the truth has to be the prime mover or else positivity will be provide only a temporary cure.