I\u2019m sure that everyone would agree that a Real Friend will communicate honestly and faithfully to his\/her friends. After all, communication is part of the foundation upon which a good friendship is based.<\/p>\n
Since we are made in the image and likeness of God, we are communicable beings.\u00a0 We can communicate with God, and we can communicate with each other.\u00a0 God intended that our ability to communicate with each other would advance the purpose for which we were created. We are created to glorify God in the way we communicate, which includes praising Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.\u00a0 The way we talk to each other, and how we build our relationships with one another, is a direct reflection of our glory and praise to God.\u00a0 Honest communication plays a key role in building godly friendships. Sometimes we forget that even our communication is cursed by sin.\u00a0 The problem started in Genesis 3, when Adam sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.\u00a0 When he realized his guilt, he didn\u2019t go running to God to communicate what had happened, he went and hid in the bushes.\u00a0 As a result of Adam\u2019s sin, we all sin \u2013 even in the way we communicate. \u00a0Sometimes we run and hide in the bushes because we don\u2019t want to communicate about a problem.\u00a0 We might be afraid that the problem will get worse if we talk about it, or our friend might get mad at us and break off the friendship.\u00a0 Both of these are possible, and I\u2019m sure you might even be able to give an example of how you or your friend responded sinfully to honest communication.\u00a0 However, God still expects us to communicate (and respond to communication) in a way that brings glory to Him. <\/strong>We can learn from our failures and the failures of others.<\/p>\n We have to make sure that we use our communication in\u00a0the way that God intended for us to use it, in the way that Jesus modeled communication when He walked on this earth. One of the many characteristics I love about Jesus is that He practiced full disclosure with His friends.\u00a0 He told them all they needed to know about Him, His purpose, goals, and the future!\u00a0 He spoke the truth, and He spoke it lovingly.<\/p>\n I really like what Jesus told His disciples in John 15:15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.\u201d<\/em> Jesus communicated openly and honestly with His friends.\u00a0 Jesus even used good judgment in the timing of His communication.\u00a0 He told them in John 16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus was honest, but He was also sensitive to the timing in which He spoke to His friends. <\/em>In other words, a Real Friend knows what to share and when to share it.<\/strong> Is that the kind of friend you are?\u00a0 Are you sure that your friends will be open and honest with you?\u00a0Will they\u00a0tell you the truth when you need to hear it (even if it hurts because you know they are right)?<\/p>\n We are actually commanded to \u2018speak the truth in love\u2019 <\/em>(Ephesians 4:15).\u00a0 Many people struggle with \u2018speaking the truth\u2019 because they fear the results of being honest with their friends.\u00a0 That person may be thinking, \u201cI can\u2019t tell them the truth; it might hurt them.\u201d Other people are really good at \u2018speaking the truth,\u2019 but they lack the \u2018in love\u2019 part of this command.<\/p>\n The truth is, God expects us to do both: Speak the truth and speak the truth in love.\u00a0 If we love our friends, we will be honest with them and speak to them lovingly;<\/strong> and we’ll reciprocate this by allowing them to be honest with us. <\/strong>Allow\u00a0them\u00a0to demonstrate their love for us by telling us the truth, even if we really don\u2019t want to hear it. In being honest with ourselves, and lovingly accepting the truth, we\u00a0recognize that we need to hear\u00a0it\u00a0if we intend to grow in thinking and acting like Jesus –\u00a0therefore bringing glory to God.\u00a0 A Real Friend models and accepts honest communication.<\/p>\n Next Week: A Real Friend Is a Servant<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Beginning of the Problem<\/h2>\n
The Greatest Example of Honest Communication<\/h2>\n
A Real Challenge<\/em> for a Real Friend<\/em><\/h2>\n