02-01-13 Friendship 5

Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." NIV (what I usually quote from)

The Amplified Bible says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful."

Now, The Message says it in a little different way. I wouldn't exactly translate friend to lover, but I like the second part because I think it hits the mark. That translation says, "The wounds from a lover are worth it; kisses from an enemy do you in."

Right after I woke up this morning and started to read my Bible, this verse 'popped' into my head. So, on to part 4 :)

Let's take the first part, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted..." Sometimes being a friend means saying some hard things. Things that the other person isn't necessarily going to like and even may make them a bit angry. Most of the time, in my life anyway, my immediate response is this welling up of anger and resentment - due to my own pride. I go away pretty much thinking, 'who in the heck do they think they are - they're just totally wrong - they don't understand.' THEN I ask the Lord, and invariably, yep - at least 98.5% of what they said was true.

So now, not only do I have to repent to the Lord of my resentment, anger and pride - I have to ask forgiveness from my friend because I didn't handle it very well and actually tell them that they were right and I was wrong.

If they are good friend and we trust them and believe them when they say nice things, we can trust the same way when they say the hard things - when they point out a flaw in our character, when they tell us that something we said hurt them, etc.

Now being on the other side where I really sense the Lord is telling me to say something to a friend, that's not exactly a 'feel-good' moment for me. But I will pick that thought up tomorrow :)

The second part of the verse, "but an enemy mutiplies kisses". Until I read the Amplied Version and The Message. That just didn't click.

But I realized that it's not the person we are to dislike, it's the wrong that was done, the hurtful act, the sin. People can be manipulative and selfish and deceitful with us in order to get their own way or be in control or whatever. There's a saying 'don't hate the player, hate the game'. We can dislike the games they play and distance ourselves from them, we don't have to like them - but we can't hate the player. That was yesterday's reading.

Now, I KNOW I don't have it in myself to love anyone - especially someone who has hurt me, but I CAN love them using the Love of God within me.

Don't let the enemy 'do you in' by holding onto resentments against others, it will only make you miserable....