Ephesians 4:25
“Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, because we are parts of one another.”
I can recall my stepfather explaining why lies were bad. His line of logic was that I wouldn't have to remember and manage all the past lies. This is a good reason. Being truthful also makes me think of being genuine. We are what we appear to be. We aren't acting, we aren't seeking to impress.
Jesus said in John 1:47, "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" He wasn't deceitful. He was what people saw. I admire this. Granted, if one is hateful and transparent about it, that's not good. I aspire to be a good disciple of Christ and all that entails.
Today's passage says to be truthful. There are some out of balance behaviors with this. Some hurtful people take pride in being truthful. They say something mean and justify it by saying, "I'm only being honest." Today's verse is not that.
Truthfulness is important in healthy relationships. I Peter 4:8 gives a key ingredient, "Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." If we aren't loving all sorts of things irritate us. We can be loving and still bothered by another's actions. We gently tell that person. That's being truthful.
Today's passage says, "we are parts of one another." We are the body of Christ. A body is the sum of it's parts. They all work together towards a purpose. Our goal is to promote Christ. We are to be patient with each other. They may wish we were quicker, like them. They need to be patient with us.
We will get frustrated. We go to God in prayer. He helps us be patient or at times He helps us be truthful and try to iron out issues.
Lord, thank You that You help us in our relationships. Truthfulness and patience is so important. You work within us to be both.