Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
–Proverbs 27:6
In Romans 15:14, Paul commended the Roman Christians for being able to “admonish one another.” The word for “admonish” comes from a Greek word that means “to counsel.”
Counseling has both a positive aspect and a negative aspect. The positive aspect of counseling involves teaching. We ought to be able to teach other Christians. When you think of teaching, you may think of standing in front of a congregation or a class. That is not what Paul was talking about. He was saying in a private setting we ought to be able to point out what Scripture says about various subjects. For example, if a parent came to you and said, “I have a rebellious teenager, and I don’t know what to do,” would you be able to explain what the Bible says about how to handle rebellion in your home? If somebody came to you and said, “I am ready to become a Christian,” would you know where to turn in the Bible to lead somebody to faith in Christ? One test of spiritual maturity is our ability to teach one another.
The negative aspect of counseling is correction. To admonish one another means not only to teach them positively, but also to correct them. Imagine somebody comes up to you and says, “My spouse is a jerk, but I have found somebody who makes me feel happy, and I believe God has brought this other person into my life.” They are not asking you for advice; they are just telling you what is going on in their life. Would you just sit there and nod? Or would you have the guts to say, “What you are doing is displeasing to God and here is why”? If somebody expressed bitterness toward another Christian, would you sit there and nod? Or would you say, “If you do not let go of that bitterness, it is going to destroy you”? Most of us are not willing to do that. We do not want people to think badly of us. So we remain quiet when we ought to correct the other person.
Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” A true friend is somebody who tells you what you need to hear. An enemy is somebody who tells you what you want to hear. Much of the immorality, backbiting, and dissension in the Church today that is destroying our witness to the world could be eliminated if we as Christians would do our job of teaching and correcting other believers.
To determine your spiritual health, ask yourself these important questions:
- “Is my life characterized by goodness? Is sin the exception in my life?”
- “Is my life characterized by knowledge and wisdom? Am I applying what I know?”
- “Am I able to admonish others? Do I have the skill to teach God’s Word and the willingness to correct those who live apart from God’s will?”
Your answer to these questions will reveal the state of your spiritual health.
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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “It’s Time For A Checkup” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2014.
Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.