Called friend

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

CALLED FRIEND

Prov 27:6

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

NIV

It seems strange that we should relish the wounds of a friend. Yet the Psalmist writes just the same sentiment.

Ps 141:5

5 Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

NIV

This mimics the idea of the last proverb about an open rebuke being better than a hidden love. A true friend can be trusted to tell us the truth of our affairs, especially if they are offending God in some way. Now on the other hand the enemy may lavish us with kisses, false love in other words, yet those kisses are filled with deceit. We only have to think of Judas, as he kissed Jesus to see a deceitful kiss. Some might tell us they are our friend only to gain access to our most inner thoughts. Then like the snakes they are, they sliver off to tell everyone of our mistakes or some sin. They might even use their deceitfulness to tell us some lie about their sin or sins in order to get us to confess to them, to open up to them. Their kiss is murderess. There are not many true friends in this world, and it is for sure the ones we find have to be within the body of Christ. Although it is true some believers are not to be trusted either. None of us are perfect people and some have the sin of gossip so firmly entrenched within their being their kiss too would be deceitful. Now, this applies to us as well. Are we a true friend who can strike someone in pure love, keeping the strike as private as private can be? There is no room for phony kisses. True friendship carries honesty to the highest degree, whether that is in the form of corrective criticism or downright rebuking, or real encouragement. We should not refuse those type of words from our friend and we should be ready to speak those same to them, if needed. There are too many false friendships to be had, and we should be careful, asking the Spirit for the discernment, as to who it is we should foster that kind of relationship with. We should also be asking the Spirit to lead us into all truth, as is his plan. This would open our eyes to those who would kiss and tell. Let us seek out true friendships that are real and beneficial to us both. It has been said we might only find a few in a lifetime who meet the criteria to be called friend. God calls us friend.