Above is a pic of my youngest daughter and me.
My Husband, My brother in Christ
Truth, sincerely from the heart
I will be a contributing writer to a group blog HERE
Its purpose: This is a site where women can come if they are ready to take God at His Word...... if they are serious about becoming more like Christ.... no Excuses... At any cost...
I will contribute a study in Philippians on joy in spite of circumstances.
My blog name there will be ... Alethia, Ex Animo
Latin for "Truth, sincerely from the heart"
Why did I pick this name?
"Alethia's" literal meaning is nothing hidden. The phrase found in Scripture that describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth literally would be the Spirit who allows nothing to be hidden. The Spirit of Truth is always working to move us as believers beyond outward appearances to God's reality.
The Bible speaks a great deal about the value of truthfulness. The subject of reproof in Scripture tells us that only the fool and the wicked man according to Proverbs cannot hear godly reproof. Consider King David’s words about his need for those around him to speak to him truthfully:
Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head… Psalm 141:5
Our responsibility to hear the truth from individuals around us grows in proportion to the sphere of our influence. The larger the influence, the more we need people around us to speak the truth in love to us... and sadly the less likely they are to do it. Why? Because we get caught up in the person, not wanting to offend, instead of getting caught up in our love for Christ even if it means "offending" with the Word of truth. Leaders must teach and emphasize truthfulness or they will more likely get affirmation from their subordinates rather than truthfulness.
The leader must be able to discern truth. It seldom will come in a nice package when dealing with sin issues. As King David said in the passage above, sometimes the truth-teller will smite us. Nearly all of these kinds of smiting events will have an element of truth that needs to be discerned. The leader who is insecure will not glean the truth about himselfand may dishonor the person seeking to tell the truth. Embraced truth will set us free no matter how it is packaged.
Value systems are always observable in the behavior of leaders. Leaders can teach by their attitudes and behavior that truthfulness is or is not valued. If people around him must earn the right to speak the truth to him by proven loyalty, they are being trained that loyalty over the truth is more valued. As a consequence they will have very little truth spoken to them and confuse affirmation with truthful feedback.
Because the truth is not easy to hear, we must speak the truth in wisdom and love. The Word of Truth connects our spiritual growth with speaking the truth.
Truth-tellers must have sincere concern for the person and organization being confronted with the truth and therefore be an expression of love. We must love the truth, even when it smites us.
Let us not allow truth telling to be stifled based on blind loyalty. Let us come prepared to meet the One who declared Himself to be the way, the truth, and the life. Loyalty binds us together. The truth sets us free. When we defend our failures at the cost of the reputation of Christ, then we become a revolving door. Weakness in the value of truthfulness produces this revolving door causing hidden problems, turmoil and strife, and disunity. A false unity of tolerance at the expense of the truth.
Truth must be highly valued or our integrity becomes weak. Loyalty alone cannot bind our hearts together in Christ. Truth will always be necessary. Sincerity in this truth is also essential. Sincerity is the best mixture of the values of loyalty and truthfulness. To be sincere is to be loyal to God. To speak the truth boldly in love is to honor God above man.
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ… Ephesians 4:15
