“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

Sometimes Christians have a reputation for being legalistic and hard nosed about certain things and are incapable of ‘real fun.’ Other times, they are seemingly passive hippies who love to a fault and never stand for anything inparticular. And as in everything, the truth stands somewhere in between.

As Christians, we are called to show the same measure of grace and mercy that has been shown to us and on the same token, we are bound by truth itself and there are things we should never compromise on in life. This makes for an interesting blend of grace and seriousness. We walk the line of boundless love and unflinching truth.

As we all minister and lead others for the sake of Christ, we need to walk that narrow road. It’s the one Christ laid out for us, and from that we will find that we do indeed need to be stubborn about a lot of things. We need to love when no one else will love. We need to care when no one else will. We need to step in and serve where everyone else hesitates to do so and we must do it all consistently and at every opportunity because this is the example we find from our Master, Jesus.

We also need to stand firm in the truth of the Scriptures. Where others may tout tolerance, we must stand in love and with the truth. When it isn’t popular, or when it means ruffling feathers or hurting feelings, we must still stand for what the Gospel teaches and what the Bible proclaims. If we compromise anything, we risk losing it all in the process. If we say one part isn’t relevant, or doesn’t really apply to what it says, then we lose the whole in the process.

We must be stubborn when it comes to truth, but we must also be unflinching in love. It is this fine line of grace and truth that defines us as Christians. If we are wishy-washy and if we hem-and-haw and hesitate when it come to either side, love or truth, then we do a disservice to those we are unposed to serve and to our Master.

And like Paul says, if we stick with it, our labor will not be in vain. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not always going to be fun, but it is necessary. Truth doesn’t flinch, and neither should we. Jesus didn’t hold anything back in love when He went to the cross for us, and so we should lay it all out there as well. Go speak truth. Do not compromise, but remember that you have been sent to GoLove as well, and it is that love that defines us and separates us from hateful extremists and the love-less legalists.