From; Brenda Walsh Ministries
Beauty of Truth
Truth can seem unkind and hurtful at times. It can even feel unchristian to be brutally honest. It takes courage to embrace truth. But there is freedom in being open, honest, and transparent. Just like a breath of fresh air – honesty is liberating. Truth does not mind being questioned – a lie does not like being challenged. Sometimes we struggle being honest with ourselves. We harbor judgment, racism, hatred, legalism, or jealousy in our hearts, yet we are in denial, hiding behind our self-righteousness. We avoid “real talk” because we don’t want others to find out how we truly feel. We act all “holy” around our church family, as if we are better than they are, all the while hiding our own secret sins. Never worry about who will be offended if you speak the truth. Worry about who will be misled, deceived, and destroyed if you don’t. Jesus was all about “truth” and He didn’t avoid honest conversations. Consider the Samaritan woman whom He waited for during the hottest time of the day, just to help her embrace her truth. Have you ever wondered why Jesus asked her if she would go fetch her husband? He knew that she had, in fact, had five husbands and wasn’t married to the man she was currently living with. Jesus didn’t ask her that because he wanted to embarrass or shame her; instead, He was measuring her honesty. He wanted to know if she would own her own truth or protect her pride. Would she be more hungry for spiritual food than preserving her ego? Jesus was pleased when she told the truth in John 4:17: “I have no husband.” The Bible makes it very clear in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Someone once said, “The truth can stand naked... but a lie always needs to be dressed.” If you tell one lie, you’ll keep telling more lies to cover up the previous ones, and it just never ends. Dishonesty will always lead to eternal destruction. It’s much better to face the sting of truth than the stabbing, heart-wrenching pain of separation from God. Embrace the beauty of truth and the sweet peace it brings! Text: Proverbs 11:3, Proverbs 12:22, Ephesians 4:25, Psalm 101:7