FRIEND or ENEMY?

1 Kings 21:17-29

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Proverbs 27:5

I like people and want people to like me. So to tell them that their conduct is dishonest or immoral isn’t easy for me. On several occasions men have told me how they got out of a speeding ticket by making up a touching story, or how they got even with some rascal in a  shady business deal. I’ve responded by asking, “That was clever, but was it honest?”

When I get acquainted with people and they tell me they are living immorally, I may ask, “Do you believe in God and that you must answer to Him? Or do you think we are accidents of nature with no more meaning than an insect, and that it doesn’t matter how we live?” When they express some belief in God (and almost everyone does), I’ll gently share with what He has said about their conduct. Many times this opens the door to present the good news of salvation.

Ahab called Elijah an enemy (1 Kings 21:20). But he was wrong. The prophet was really his best earthly friend. If only he would have listened to God’s servant, he could have been a good king and a child of God.

Lord, help us to be loving as we confront people with their sin. And help us to see that those who point out our sins are not our enemies but our true friends. —hvl

True friends will say what’s kind and true, though it may cause us pain; they’re thinking of what’s good for us and all we stand to gain. —djd

Faithful are the wounds of a friend. —Proverbs 27:6