Speaking from Deceived Hearts

The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.- Jeremiah 17:9, The Message

Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ – Ephesians 4:15, CEB

Finally, beloved, whatever is true… – Philippians 4:8a, NRSV

Today we’re again back at the website Live as If (part of StudyLight.org) This time around the writer is Stan Smith whose subsection of the site is called Winging It. (I know we all feel we’re doing that sometimes.) The verse above from Jeremiah is mentioned at the end of the devotional and it raises some interesting thoughts in view of the subject of the devotional that follows. How good can we be at speaking truth if our own hearts are deceitful more than anything else? Click the title below to read at source.

Speaking the Truth

It is obvious that our job as followers of Christ is to speak the truth. Lies do not become us. Neither do false doctrines, misguided rants, or a lazy understanding of God’s Word. As followers of “the Truth” (John 14:6), we must find the truth mandatory rather than optional.

However …

… Scripture is clear. We must speak the truth, but we must do so in love (Ephesians 4:15). You see, it can be a pretty simple thing to declare with teeth bared what is true, but it can be a real challenge to do it in love. It speaks to the motivation, the aim, the purpose. Paul told Timothy, “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). If love is seeking the best for others, our truth-speaking would need to be motivated by a grand desire to seek the best for others.

You must admit, that isn’t always easy. I mean, listen to the lies that are told, even in Jesus’s name. Look at the harm they do with their lies. Look at the outrageous things they say. No, it’s not always easy. But it’s always necessary. So we need to check ourselves. We need to constantly aim to love God and love our neighbors even as we aim to speak the truth.

I’m convinced, though, that perhaps the hardest place to speak the truth in love is someplace you might not have considered. That’s when you’re talking to … yourself. What do you tell yourself? Is it true? Is it loving? Many of us are harsh on ourselves. “I can’t do anything right.” “I’m good for nothing.” Others are lying to themselves in the opposite direction. You’ve met guys who think they’re God’s gift to women. Trust me; it’s a lie. So we lie to ourselves in the negative and the positive. We tell ourselves we can’t do “that” even if “that” is something God has commanded. Or we tell ourselves it’s perfectly okay to do “this” even if “this” is something God has forbidden. We lie to ourselves about our abilities and our shortcomings, our weaknesses and our strengths, our character and our lack thereof. Brothers and sisters, these things ought not be.

We suffer from deceived hearts (Jeremiah 17:9), so it’s no surprise. Still, we’re commanded to speak the truth in love. That would include those around us, obviously, but it is in our own best interest that we speak the truth in love to ourselves as well. Because we suffer from bad hearts and bad thinking and we need to be made new. It’s a constant battle. And if we just ignore, it doesn’t just go away. In a world full of lies (like identity by sexual preference, non-binary gender, gay marriage, confused morality, the right to murder babies if we feel like it, one-sided racism, “The Bible isn’t a reliable document,” the separation of church and mind, etc.), speak the truth in love — to others and to yourself.