Bible Reading: Proverbs 27:6
Do you have a friend who is mixed up in something that you know to be wrong, dangerous or potentially harmful? Do you feel like you absolutely have to do something
about it, but you are afraid of hurting your friend?
Why is it that you feel compelled to take action to stop that friend from continuing to do the harmful things that he (or she) is doing?
You have those feelings because you care, because you sincerely love your friend and want what is best for him. That’s what Solomon was saying when he wrote, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
Often when a person is bitten by a poisonous snake the site of the bite mark is cut open so that the flow of blood can wash the poison out of the person’s body before it can do serious damage. Left unchecked, the poison could kill the bite victim. The cut isn’t made to deliberately hurt the person. It is a necessary wound made to save the person’s life.
Sometimes it is a friend’s job to wound his friend. Not to be cruel, but to stop the friend from continuing to “poison” himself. Love sometimes wounds a friend because it refuses to sit back and idly watch that friend’s life be ruined by his poisonous actions.
Doing what you know to be right isn’t always easy, but it is always right.
“One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me the courage to do what I know is right. In Jesus’ name. Amen.