I know a very long time since my last post and sorry about that. I still continue to do my daily devotions and wanted to share this one from this morning.
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." - Proverbs 27:6
Jesus was quick to chastise His disciplies when they failed to believe Him. Jesus loved His friends too much to condone or comfort them in their sin.
It is possible to be too gentle with your friends. When a friend is under deep conviction by the Holy Spirit, do you try to give comfort? Don't ever try to ease the discomfort of someone whom the Holy Spirit is making uncomfortable! Be careful not to communicate to your friends that you find their lack of faith acceptable. You are not acting in true friendship of you condone disobedience or even if you look the other way. Kisses ar far more pleasant than wounds, yet they can be even more devastating if they lull your friend into being comfortable with sin.
In our attempt to appease our friends and our reluctance to share a word from God, we can actually cause great harm. If we see our friends in danger and do not warn them, God will hold us accountable for our silence (Ezek. 33:6). Are you a friend of such integrity that you would risk wounding your friends in order to deter them from their sin? Can you love your friend enough to care? Are you willing to risk everything for that friend?
Some very difficult questions to ponder, would you?
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3 comments:
Definitely something I need to work on! I'm more of the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" kind of person. And working with preschoolers, I've learned to how to make even the naughiest kids sound good (creative, full of energy, curious, etc.) I even have Proverbs 17:28 posted on my desk. "Even a fool who keeps silent is is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent." I guess I've always thought that it's better just to keep quiet. It's going to be a bit of a challenge to me to do this!
There is a time and place for both, being closed lipped and loving a friend enough to say something. This isn't about pointing fingers, it is about reaching out with love and correction. Too often we use correction as a time to elevate ourselves at the expense of others. That is not what this is about. This is humbly helping a friend. Thanks for reading this and commenting, I was not sure anyone even read this BLOG anymore.
Yes, I understand what you are saying. The reason I have Proverbs 17:28 posted is so I can remind myself not to use correction as a time to elevate myself. I actually have a friend who could use a little "loving correction." I always thought that it was best to just stay out of it. But especially after reading your post, I feel like I should maybe say something.
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