Day 383 · Year 2 · Life with God
Iron sharpens iron
You need friends who tell you the truth.
Today's passage
Proverbs 27:5-6
5Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed.
6The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Solomon is unromantic about friendship. 'Better is open rebuke than hidden love.' 'Faithful are the wounds of a friend.' Real Christian friendship will, eventually, say something you do not want to hear — and you will need that. A friend who only affirms you is not actually a friend; they are an audience. Today, ask yourself two things: who has permission to say hard things to me? And: who am I willing to risk a hard conversation with, in love?
From the great tradition · paraphrased
C. S. Lewis · Modern · 20th c. · England
C. S. Lewis described real friendship as side-by-side, looking together at a third thing — and as one of the natural loves God uses to shape Christlikeness over decades.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What contrast does Solomon draw in verse 5?
- Why are 'wounds of a friend' faithful?
- Who has permission to tell you hard things, and who do you owe a hard conversation?
A prayer to pray
Thank God for the friends who have been honest with you. Ask him for the courage to be that kind of friend yourself.