A sincere friend

"Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." Proverbs 27:6

I have had the blessing of joining one of my dearest and most trusted friends for a weekly walk or run for several years. And if you're fortunate enough to have a person like this in your life too, you know you can count on them to always tell you the truth... even when that's the last thing you want to hear. Which was exactly the case when, midway through our morning stroll, my friend lovingly told me that I might not be handling a certain situation the way Jesus would. Were his words true? Yes. Did it sting to hear them? Absolutely. But they were "better than many kisses from an enemy" because they caused me to reexamine my heart. 

You see, words "from a sincere friend" will sometimes wound or hurt us, convicting words most always will. But a true "friend" would rather hurt us with their words than allow us to continue doing anything contrary to God's will. In other words, a "sincere friend" will kindly say whatever is necessary to keep us from sinning. An insincere friend, on the other hand, will tell us exactly what we want to hear and send us on our way to ruin. That insincere friend, then, is no better that an "enemy". Wouldn't you agree?

So when it comes to choosing your friends, consider the words of Robert Hall, an English Clergyman, who wisely said, "A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity."

Heavenly Father, thank you for those people in our lives, those sincere friends, who love us so much that they would rather hurt us into heaven than please us straight to hell. May we be sure to thank those friends for their honesty and repay the favor by being that sincere friend right back. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Selah - Just a closer walk

https://youtu.be/k557ucneBi4