Nathan; he was David’s friend and prophet. Though David was king, Nathan told him the truth however painful it was (2 Samuel 12:1-12). It was a heavy truth that sent David on his knees in repentance.
The reason why we have not seen the
fruit of repentance in the lives of some of our friends is because we do not
tell them the whole truth. For many, familiarity has sealed their lips for
truth. For some, they cannot say the truth because they themselves do not have
testimony of the truth.
David saw a man who could tell him
the truth and he kept him (Nathan) as a life-long friend. Even on his death bed,
Nathan was there (1 Kings 1:23). This was one of David’s secret – love for the
truth! Tell him the truth, he would love you more. It was him that said: “The
LORD shall cut off all flattering lips” (Psalm 12:3). Truth sustained
him and preserved him: “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me”
(Psalm 25:21). If you hate to hear the truth, then you hate true
greatness and you dislike Heaven. Those who seek to close up the truth end up
with a ‘closed destiny’: “For we can do nothing against the truth,
but for the truth” (2 Corinthians 13:8).
David heard the truth and repented,
whereas Saul heard the same truth but tried to cover up by blaming the people
(1 Samuel 15:24). When we wrong, we must accept the truth and repent without
looking for excuses. Our attitude to the truth determines our altitude in life through
grace.
A friend is someone who tells you
not just what you want to hear, but what God is saying to you. He tells you the
truth whether you love to hear it or not, but he stays there to help you
through getting it right.
Many who say they are believers are
comfortable seeing their friends in sin(s) and error(s) and keep quiet. For this
reason, many such friends sin comfortably even in their presence. The truth is,
if your presence does not ‘rebuke’ or represent a ‘check’ to someone who knows
you as a believer of wrongdoing/sin, then check your testimony. By the Holy
Spirit’s presence and operation in your life, your presence should ‘discourage’
your friends from their sins/wrongdoing (John 16:8).
What kind of friends do you have
around you; those who tell you the truth or tell you want you want to hear?
There are people who stopped talking to some people simply because the latter
spoke the truth to them. Do you belong here? The truth you do not want to hear
might just be your lifeline for eternity in Heaven.
Choose friends whose presence in
your life pushes you closer to God and Heaven.
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