“He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue.” Proverbs 28:23 (NKJV)
I’m going to make this short and sweet! Going through this with ramblings will take away from the overall message I’d like to convey. But it’s not to preach to anyone, but it’s something that I think is important for us as a people to truly think about.
How many times have we listened to our friends in person or over the phone speak to us about worldly things that they may have encountered that we know as Christians we should not take part in? It could be going to the club on Saturday night, and then arriving in church on Sunday morning-praising God, or compromising yourselves s*xually for someone you think you love, or cursing obsenities during rush hour from work over a bad turn on the freeway. Now I’m not saying that any of us, including me at times, don’t get a little under our skins and say, think or do things that are contrary to the word of God. We are human-in flesh. But because we are now new creatures, remember the old things have passed away, we have been bought with a price and set aside as peculiar people, we have to be so very careful not to get caught up in the world.
That’s why we need to have friends who are also like-minded individuals who are sold out for Jesus to hold each of us accountable-and to a higher standard of living for what is right, not just because we don’t want to snitch or sell our friends out, or make them feel like its ok to do these things. Loyalty means nothing in this case!
Its about being honest with him or her to the point of bringing them back to a right standing with God. Friends will love you more if you told them the truth, than not-by placing them in the devil’s line of fire, knowing that it didn’t have to be that way. That shows true love and devotion for your friends-the way God sees it.
In His Love,
Lily
Copyright © 2008 by Lily L. Ratliff. REPRINTING THIS ARTICLE: Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this article only in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged.
Posted By: Elder Lily Jenkins
Sunday, October 26th 2008 at 3:48PM
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