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Daily eMail Devotional
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Proverbs 27:1-10 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.Do you stink as a friend? Verse nine in our passage for today says “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.” A good friend is like deodorant: They stick with you through the toughest times; they help you keep your cool when life get’s hot, and there presence stays with you wherever you go. Jonathan, David’s friend in the Old Testament, was like that. When David was going through one of the most difficult times in his life the Bible says “And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.” (I Samuel 23:16)
Do you have a friend “near” like that? Who is the person that you know will be there no matter how hard life gets? Who strengthens your hand in the Lord? The reverse of these questions is important also: Who are you a Jonathan to? Whose hand have you strengthened lately?
Deodorant is something that has to be renewed every day. Friendships are the same way. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) You want your deodorant to stick with you; stick with your friends. Keep them close, spend time with them, and be there when they need you.
One final thought about deodorant and friends. A true friend will tell you when you need deodorant! “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Good friends are not afraid to hurt your feelings when they need to tell you the truth. Make sure you have a friend like that.
Aloha in Christ,
Pastor Wayne
Don't Forget -
