Tough Love
Notes
Transcript
Tough Love
Tough Love
5 Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
Love! We all are familiar with love, I’m sure we hear it every day from your spouse or kids. I mean I hear from my co-works, they say I love you to each other. To me I don’t know how to respond when they tell me that because I really don’t know what they completely mean when they say it. The reason I picked this topic is because as much we have the love that is kind do we show the tough love that seems harsh at the time but is truly loving.
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
Our intentions have to be pure
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
So, why would I would say that our intentions need to be pure. Well, tough love has the idea of showing people faults without out seeming selfish or angry
Consider a military leader who must discipline his troops after a grave mistake. Instead of resorting to anger, he holds a meeting where he first shares the importance of unity and understanding. He lays out the consequences firmly yet compassionately, reminding them that discipline is not about punishment but shaping character. This illustrates how tough love is essential for growth, rooted in respect and care.
I think it so easy when our emotions are high we can express anger and frustration, yes there is a time for that. When everyone yells all the time it comes across as harsh, it doesn’t seem like love but hate. So, our intentions have to be pure has to be for the benefit for the other person and not our selves.
2. We need tough love
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
19 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
It never enjoyable to be punished but its for our own good and it because God loves us and the people who tell us love us. Many times when we are told that we are wrong, well at least for me I get a bad attitude because I’m selfish and I think I didn’t do any thing wrong and it just having a bad attitude. Even though it for my better good.
Then to be the person who who has to share these things can be difficult because we can have the response that we will be hated and accused of false things like being unloving.
I think about Jesus, he was not afraid to call out or discapline his own disciples and the religous leaders
30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him.
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;
52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem.
54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;
56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village.
35 On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”
36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.
37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.
40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
These are just a few example of Jesus rebuking His disciples but as it seemed harsh He did it because He loved them and wanted them to understand and see the truth and do what is right.
So, we as Christians we can do the same and we can do it in away where we are gentle but also telling people they are wrong and need to change. Like in my open text faithful rebuke is from a friend but deceit or ignoring the truth is a kiss from a enemy.
So, we need that tough love, because at the end of the day it makes us better.
3. People have become weak
Personally I feel like we have become weak minded as a society. We can’t criticize anyone anymore because their feeling get hurt. Sadly, they will be quick to judge you but you don’t dare judge them. Maybe as christians we have become weak when it comes to these things, I think about Jesus, He was not afraid to tell people they are wrong. This who idea has a trickle effect because you can’t even have a civil debate anymore. Then as society becomes more corrupt theres a possibility that if we say anything remotely against you it could become a hate crime. At the end of the day we need to do what God says and we need to love people but also confront them on their sin
23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
I know this verse is talking about a master being unreasonable but that last part can be applied is that if we do what God wants then we find favor in the sight of God.
Conclusion
I find this very difficult to do because being hated is not enjoyable and hear things against you is even worse but at the end it makes us better people if done God’s way. This is something that I need to work on of having confidence to do whats right, no matter the result.
