A QUESTION OF CHRISTIAN LOVE: TO WARN, OR TO BE SILENT?

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: 
be zealous therefore, and repent."

(Revelation 3:19)

There are those who are of the opinion that writing the kind of articles that appear on this blog, and others like it, is not a loving thing for a Christian to do. They hold that in love we should let be, remain silent, and leave it all to God to deal with later on. But it really needs to be asked of our Christian love, "In what way is it being demonstrated? When is it true, and when is it mistaken? When is it being exercised with wisdom, and when with folly?"

Here is a little parable that the Lord has laid on my heart to present to anyone who has ears that are open to receive it:

Two men were walking down the street. Alan and George were great friends, as were their two young sons, James and Jack, who were ambling along a few steps ahead of their fathers, engrossed in their own little world.

Suddenly, the boys saw a pigeon on the opposite pavement, and as they just loved chasing pigeons into flight, they immediately started running across the road towards it.

"Stop, James!" cried his father Alan. "There's a bus coming! How many times have you been told it's very dangerous to cross the road without looking! Come back here now, you silly boy!"

James skidded to a halt and sheepishly stepped back onto the pavement, but Jack raced on regardless. "MY dad's said nothing to ME!" he grinned.

George turned to Alan. "How can you yell at your boy like that?" he demanded angrily. "I love my son so much I'd never shout at him like that!"

Scarcely had the words left his lips when there was a terrible squealing of brakes. With unbelieving eyes George watched helplessly as his son was hit by the speeding bus that Alan had anxiously warned about, and was crushed beneath its heavy wheels. 

It was all now far too late; Jack was beyond hearing any amount of anguished shouts of warning...

"A wise son heareth his father's instruction: 
but a scorner heareth not rebuke."

(Proverbs 13:1)

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

(2 Timothy 4:2)