"It's Loving to Tell the Truth" Youth Tee

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy."

Proverbs 27:6

Being a "yes friend" can be such an easy comfort-seeking pit to fall into. Agreeing (at least passively at times) with whatever a friend says, believes, chooses to do...because that is much more comfortable than giving any pushback, right? The endless fear of man-fueled thoughts spill in from every side and the thought of approaching a difficult topic is now out of the question.

What if she thinks I'm a bad friend or not being "supportive"? What if this ends our friendship?

The reality is that when we see a neighbor-believer or an unbeliever-living or believing contrary to the truth as outlined in God's Word, it is loving to tell them the truth. This is why we lovingly share Christ with the lost out of compassion for their souls. We plead with them because of our love for God and our love for them.

Likewise, just a few verses down in the same chapter, we hear "iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Pr. 27:17); we don't let a brother continue in error out of love. Now, there is certainly a lot of wisdom needed in how we approach a brother in love and that will not always look the same or have the same timetable, etc. but we do not shy away in spite of their best interest.

Of course, this is not seen as loving in our postmodern society. Love=unrestrained and complete agreement and condonation of any and all beliefs and choices.

Even as believers, we are often tempted to fear man over God in these moments. Remember, saint-the Lord our God has commanded us to share truth in love, that we might, through the Spirit and in God's kindness, gain our brother.

"It is good for us to be reproved, and told of our faults, by our friends...Faithful are the reproofs of a friend, though for the present they are painful as wounds. It is a sign that our friends are faithful indeed if, in love to our souls, they will not suffer sin upon us, nor let us alone in it. The physician's care is to cure the patient's disease, not to please his palate." (Henry; Pr. 27:6)