02-15-24-ENG.

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

1 John 3:18–22

One of the best ways to get your prayers answered is to merge truth with love. That means you cannot be a silo saint. You can’t be a stay-at-home follower of Jesus Christ. And I’m not talking about just coming to church or going to a sanctuary, either. You need to be engaged with others on a regular basis so that you first have the opportunity to speak the truth in love. When you are touching people and encouraging them to build kingdom virtue in their lives, God sees that you are doing that which is “pleasing in His sight.” So many people feel free today to correct, judge, teach, or blame people they may not even know on social media. But truth spoken in a spirit and context of love is most often in an environment of relationships.

In order to have relationships, you need to intentionally set out to connect with others. You need to know people well enough to know when the truth might be needed in their lives. You can’t do that if you are never around anybody. The church has many purposes, but one of them is to provide a context for fellowship among believers to take place. Far too many people wound up using COVID as an excuse to not attend church once the lockdown measures had lifted.

They found it far too convenient to watch a sermon on YouTube and call it a day. But church was never meant to simply be a sermon-dispenser, like a Redbox where you get DVDs. Church is a place to connect with others in such a way that everyone can experience God together as we serve Him and get to know Him, and each other, better. What’s more, when you are involved in the lives of people—and you allow people to be involved in your life as well—you are given opportunities to speak the truth in love.

You don’t have to demand to have your voice heard. You don’t have to shout. You don’t have to use all caps. God has given us a community in which we can all thrive when we come together on the basis of two foundational virtues of truth and love. Merging the sharing of truth with love opens the doorway to a greater experience of God in your life. And couldn’t we all use a bit more of experiencing the greatness of God in our lives? God’s presence casts out fear. His presence calms the chaos.

God’s presence ushers in peace, hope, and joy. God allows you and me to feel more of His love from Him when He sees that we are willing to share His love, and His truth, with others. But what’s more is that when you and I make it our lifestyle to live with kingdom virtues on the foundation of truth merged with a spirit of love, more of our prayers get answered, too. As we reflect God more in what we say and how we say it—God is more attuned to our prayers. 

Reaction:
What are some prayer requests you have given to God that have not been addressed yet? Are any of these prayers possibly being hindered through a lack of love in your own heart combined with a lack of aligning with God’s truth? In what ways can you speak the truth in love to a greater degree? 

Prayer:
Jesus, it isn’t always easy to merge truth with love. It’s far easier to judge, blame, or criticize at times. But I want to honor You with my lifestyle and live according to Your kingdom values. Help me do the difficult work of purifying my own heart and motives while leaning more deeply into love, empathy, and kindness. Soften my heart to feel a greater level of compassion toward those around me. In Your name I pray, amen.