Time with God - May 15, 2015
Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
If you think a friend would never confront you, think again!
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend”. Wounds hurt. If you see something in a friend’s life that is not honoring to God and you need to confront them about it in love, you need to realize that there is no easy way to do it. Your friend will be hurt by what you say. But if they are wise enough to listen to you and grow from your words, it will draw them much closer to you. They will know for sure that you really care for them if you were willing to take that risk and talk to them about the issue.
But if God puts it on your heart to confront your friend in this way and you ignore God’s leading because you are afraid of confrontation—you may think you are loving your friend by not confronting them, but in reality you are hurting them by allowing them to continue on in that damaging way of life.
God is challenging you to become an agent of blessing and growth in your friends’ lives by (not too often, and very gently) helping them see something in their lives from God’s perspective. Be a friend that speaks the truth in love.
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