Time after time I see it happen here at RBC.
A crisis strikes one family (a death, an illness, an acute financial need) and the church family rallies around them with love and support and acts of service.
This proves and displays our love.
But what about another — just as biblical but not as popular – display of love?
What about the faithful wounds of a friend?
- Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
- Speaking the truth in love we grow.
- Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
True biblical love speaks a word of reproof and correction and exhortation and confrontation and disagreement when it is needed.
This is a mark of genuine biblical friendship.
Some of us question who are friends are at exactly the wrong time.
If you were in the middle of a crisis and your friends knew about it and did nothing at all to help and support you I am sure you would question their love.
Flip it around.
What if you are in the middle of a self-inflicted sin crisis? If your friends step in to help (through rebuke and exhortation) would you receive such as love?
Well, do you have sin in your life?
Does that sin display itself in words and deeds?
Do your friends do anything at all to help?
Are they willing to speak a word of correction?
You should question who your friends are – not when they disagree with you or speak a difficult word to you – but rather when they won’t.
The question is – if they never speak that wounding word — do they really love?