A true friend lifts when you are sinking, speaks truth when you are believing lies, and cares more for your holiness than your happiness. Yet they do all of this with pervading love and humility of spirit. That is a true friend.
I was reading in Hebrews this morning and the verses that struck say, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily while it is called 'today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (3:12-13)
After I mourned my own vocabulary deficiency since I do not use the word "lest" in my writings, I noticed two things I wanted to ponder this day:
- Unbelief is "evil" in the sight of God--When we do not believe, and therefore trust His promises, we cannot please Him. Unbelief can be seen in our actions. Worry, fear, and unforgiveness--to name a few--ultimately reveal unbelief. Ouch.
- We are to exhort one another daily--The word exhort literally means to call someone near with a purpose, in this case, to address a friend's falling into the deceit of sin. Sin is deceptive. It can creep in with small steps then take a vise-like grip over its prey. We are called to exhort one another daily.
May we be true friends--friends who in love and humility, take another by the hand and speak a word that lifts.
God is that good.
No comments:
Post a Comment