A good friend recently asked ... "when did we go from saying the truth and coming alongside people..or pulling them aside...to deciding it's better to say nothing at all because that's what love would do. Love doesn't "offend" people."

After doing some study in God's word the following was my answer.

One facet of true biblical love is that it "does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth" (1Cor 13:6).

Setting aside, 'love doesn't offend,' here is an exciting verse tucked away in 1 Thessalonians 2...

"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" - v19

The context is that Paul wrote 'how we had exhorted, and comforted, and charged everyone of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God... (vs. 11,12)' and then this in v.13, '...because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.'

So here is what Doug takes away from this, like Paul I desire others 'in the presence' of the Lord, should I then avoid sharing truth because I fear offending? I should hope not. Rather hope they 'receive the word of God.'

Something else about biblical love is that it is discerning. To love one-another does not mean accepting misguided behavior out of misguided love; the commandment to love one-another implores us to 'walk in it' (2 John 6). And the only way I know how to do this rightly is to be lead by the Spirit.

And, I'm getting better following His lead.