Years ago, as I was studying Scripture, God reminded me that his love must take on many forms in order to transform me in Christ’s character. We are being made in the image of Christ—the perfect example of God’s nature and character. This transformation is the salvation Jesus offers—we are saved by grace through faith, because we cannot be ‘good’ without him (Eph 2:8-9). It became very clear in my spirit I must hold onto that Truth the rest of my life.
As believers, we are daily being transformed from one level of glory to another by the decisions we make about our lives. If we are serious about our relationship with God and not just interested in going through the motions, we will understand true discipleship. To be a disciple of Christ is to be a student of the Truth and we must allow the Spirit of the Lord to speak into our lives. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life we are to live (John 14:6). If we are going to have authority, as believers and carriers of the Christ, we must have a deep understanding of Love. God is love and there is no spiritual authority for a person who does not seek to walk in God’s love.
Therefore, in our passage today from Proverbs 27, I want to specifically focus on vv. 5,6, and 17. We need to ponder the righteous love of God which is affirming, correcting, as well as confrontational. Scripture teaches God’s love is affirming: to maintain as true. When God affirms humanity and tells us he loves the world, he is speaking the Truth and nothing will ever change it (Jo 3:16). God loves the world; God’s love for us is truly affirming, but that word alone does not speak to the whole counsel of God—all things necessary for His glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life (Acts 20:27). To stop here is not discipleship; it is spiritual immaturity.
God’s love is affirming, but it is also correcting, because he takes us from behaving like spiritual children who demand our own way and grows us up into adult sons and daughters who reveal the Truth of His glorious nature and character to the world God loves. This is where the transforming work of the Spirit is actively producing righteousness within our souls—minds, wills, and emotions. This correcting form of God’s love is painful to our flesh, because as it is producing spiritual fruit, it puts great pressure on the unrighteousness still hiding in our souls (Pro 3:11-12; Jo 15:1-8). God’s correcting love disciplines the disciples he accepts or affirms (Heb 12:5-6).
Therefore, God’s love is certainly affirming, correcting, and lastly, God’s love is confrontational. When we refused to hear and receive the Truth via God’s affirming and correcting love, things escalate and we end up in a battle not with Satan; our souls have chosen an unrighteous position against God. God’s love confronts us, so we will judge our own sin; he uses our circumstances to teach us obedience is better. Jesus did this all the time by confronting people and keeping them accountable to the Truth with kindness, compassion, and above all Wisdom.
So, let’s remember, believers live, move, and have our being in Christ (Acts 17:28). Christ will call and send us to take a stand with people who need to judge their sin; a stand that is filled with kindness, compassion, and Wisdom—confrontational love. As God’s children, we may get by with not speaking up when someone we love is heading in a wrong direction. However, as grown sons and daughters, we need to speak up in order to bring Christ to the forefront. So, it really becomes a matter of “how” we share the Truth.
I pray all the time for the Lord to keep my words kind, compassionate, and filled with Wisdom…but, always driven by my love for the Truth—Jesus. We all fail here, because culture tells us to “mind our own business.” And, there is truth in that statement, but not the whole Truth. When it comes to believers who have chosen to become disciples of the Truth, iron sharpens iron for the transforming work of the Lord (v. 17). Disciples are true Friends in Messiah—we speak, hear, listen, and grow in Truth. We share God’s affirming, correcting, and confrontational love with one another, because we all want the same thing—Jesus as Lord. This should be the mindset of the Church—the glorious Body whom Jesus is returning to claim as his Bride.
Proverbs 27 NLT
1
Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.
2
Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.
3
A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
4
Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
but jealousy is even more dangerous.
5
An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!
6
Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.
7
A person who is full refuses honey,
but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
8
A person who strays from home
is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9
The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.
10
Never abandon a friend—
either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
11
Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad.
Then I will be able to answer my critics.
12
A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
13
Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.
14
A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning
will be taken as a curse!
15
A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
as constant dripping on a rainy day.
16
Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind
or trying to hold something with greased hands.
17
As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.
18
As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,
so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
19
As a face is reflected in water,
so the heart reflects the real person.
20
Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied,
so human desire is never satisfied.
21
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but a person is tested by being praised.
22
You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,
even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
23
Know the state of your flocks,
and put your heart into caring for your herds,
24
for riches don’t last forever,
and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
25
After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
26
your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
and your goats will provide the price of a field.
27
And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
your family, and your servant girls.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for affirming, correcting, and confronting us with the Truth each day. Without you we would live selfish lives. We would concentrate on putting ourselves in the center of all things, rather than exalt you as Lord. Holy Spirit, help us to listen to one another as disciples of the Truth. Help us to speak up in kindness, compassion, and Wisdom. Grow us in righteousness. Your transforming love is beautiful, Lord, and we treasure the work of Truth leading us forward and getting us ready for your return. In Jesus’ name. Amen.