One Lump of Sugar or Two?

Colossians 4:5-6
"Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out."

I was chatting with my wife this morning about the Christians who fear loving people right where they are because they feel you shouldn't "sugarcoat" the gospel message, or "the truth" as they put it.

Do these quotes sound eerily familiar?
"The truth hurts", "people shouldn't be comfortable in their sin", "I am just telling them what they need to hear... because I love them"... I will stop there, but you get my drift!

These kinds of "Christians" forget that the NUMBER ONE command of the ONE we are supposed to represent and imitate: Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself..." I also like what Stephen Covey said, "Seek to understand rather then to be understood".

Yet one more quote: "Its God's job to judge, my job to love, and the Holy Spirits job to convict" - Billy Graham