| Today's Bible Verse |
| "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."
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Ephesians 4:15 King James Version (KJV)
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| Today's Bible Study |
When I was a little girl, I loved spending time with my grandpa. He took me fishing with him and helped me learn to whittle. He had the happiest laugh I ever heard.
One day Grandpa came to our house to install new ceiling tiles in our living room. I sat on the floor and watched. Grandpa staggered the arrangement of the tiles. He began the first row with a whole tile, and then he began with a half tile on the second row.
He repeated this pattern as he covered more and more of the ceiling. Then, I noticed Grandpa had made a mistake. He had begun two consecutive rows with a whole tile.
I wanted to tell him the pattern was messed up, but the words would not come. Surely Grandpa would notice quickly, I thought. But he did not see his mistake until he had hung several more tiles. I cringed as he removed those tiles and corrected the error.
It is not easy to tell people they are wrong. No one would blame a little girl for not correcting her grandfather, but adults should have more courage.
At times we feel the need to speak the truth when we hear an untruth spoken. We may even occasionally be asked to give an opinion or advice. How do you address another Christian who is displaying disobedient behavior?
In all those situations, we must heed the admonition found in our verse today: Speak the truth in love.
Never correct when your motivation is to show your superiority. Don’t use condemnatory words or assume a self-righteous attitude. Try to correct in private to avoid causing embarrassment to the one who is wrong. Correct as you would like to be corrected.
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| Today's Prayer |
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| Lord, help me show grace and humility when I need to correct. Help me speak the truth in love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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| Yesterday's Bible
Verse |
| "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
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2 Timothy 3:14-15 King James Version (KJV)
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| Yesterday's Bible
Study |
Our son Ryan was about five
years old when he asked me this question: “Mom, do
I stink?”
I leaned over and took a whiff. No, he did not
stink, and I told him so. Apparently, during an
argument with his sister, he had been told he did.
To my small son, I was the authority on every
topic. I owed it to him to be honest, even if
honesty hurt.
If Ryan had to be told he did indeed stink, he
wanted to hear it from me.
Morally speaking, this earth is inhabited by many
stinky people, but most of them never stop to ask
the question Ryan asked me. Some do not know whom
to ask because they have never established an
absolute authority for their lives.
Others trust their consciences to alert them when
they misstep, or they read the newest self-help
book. Most just fall in line with the current moral
code and live according to its dictates.
Timothy’s standard was the Word of God, which was
taught to him by his mother and grandmother (2
Timothy 1:5). Identify the standard by which you
measure your life. Is your standard reliable?
Do you stink? How do you know?
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| Yesterday's Prayer |
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| Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for your creation. I thank you for its beauty and splendor. I thank you that you desire a personal relationship with me. Let me never take for granted your glorious power and grace. Amen.
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