SUMMARY: Friendship test
OVERVIEW: Reminders to build and pursue healthy relationships.
BIG IDEA: Real friends speak the truth, encourage the heart, and protect and sharpen one another.
KEY VERSE: Proverbs 27:5–6
An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
IF GOD WROTE YOU A LETTER
Be faithful today. Don’t focus on or worry about tomorrow because this is the day I have provided. Be quick to encourage others and let your friends know you care for them. Real friends are a gift. Nurture those relationships and build into them through kindness, care, and truth-telling. Speaking truth to a friend forms a bond that cannot be broken. Do this because you genuinely care and want the best for your friend.
Guard your friend’s heart and mind. Invest in such a way that his or her victories and defeats are yours, as well. Don’t let jealousy come between you. If it does, it reveals more about you than your friendship. Humbly walk with me and seek to serve your friend. And be teachable. Your friend will invest in your life as well, so be ready to receive difficult news—but do so with gratitude, knowing you have a friend who cares.
NEXT STEP
Identify the friends you trust and thank them for investing in your life. Ask if there are ways you could be a better friend to them.
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