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“You No My Friend!”
Friendship (Part 2)
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key
Verse:
Proverbs
12:26, “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked
leads them astray.” (NIV)
Devotion:
Yesterday I shared the story the of freckled-nose
little girl who thought the worst insult she could hurl toward someone was,
“You no my friend!” Unfortunately, there
are times we might need to end a friendship with someone we care about. I would be remiss, if I
did not recognize the fact that not all our pals are beneficial friends. Many
of my own friendships turned into destructive relationships.
Friends
hold great influence over us. They can entice us into activities that we know
in our hearts we should not participate in. Our key verse today states, A
righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them
astray.” They may damage us emotionally and even worse spiritually lead us
astray from a godly life. They become an unhealthy influence.
I
feel sure we all have felt betrayed by a “friend” at sometime in life. I don’t
believe you can make it through middle school or high school and not experience
duplicity by a girlfriend or a boyfriend. Betrayal seems to hide in the
lockers, cafeterias, and gyms just waiting to spring upon us in those
vulnerable teen years.
Can
you recall a time of feeling betrayed by someone close to your heart? Do you
still feel the sting of hurt?
Not
only do these hurtful friends betray us, but they can also hurt us by leading
us astray. In my early years, I was asked to mentor a young woman about my age.
As it turned out, our friendship instead of being uplifting and God-fearing
turned into a disastrous road of sin. We were not wise in our decisions
together. I watched with envy her ability to vomit up her food after she ate to
keep her svelte shape. I attempted to become bulimic through her instruction.
Even
more devastating was the criticism of our husbands that became the primary
topic of conversation. We encouraged each other to live our lives to the
fullest capability, with or without our husbands. We prodded one another into
deeper and deeper sin. Eventually, we recognized our propensity for double
trouble when we were together. The friendship ended, but not before we caused
tremendous damage to our families and ourselves.
Unhealthy
friendships. A few people disguise themselves as good friends. I have
encountered a few friendships that turned sour. They each left a pungent bitter
taste when the relationship evaporated out of my life. In hindsight, these type
of women never fully displayed true friendship, and it is quite possible that I
didn’t show true friendship to them, either.
Sadly
there have been times when I needed to say, “You no my friend.” I still valued
them as a person, but we were not good for each other. I have tried to end
these relationships gently. The Bible directs us, “If it is possible, as far as
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18 NIV). If there
is a friendship that you need to
extinguish, seek God’s guidance and wisdom. Allow the Holy Spirit to direct you
in your actions and words as you seek a way to say, “You no my friend.”
Prayer:
Dear Lord, reveal to me any destructive friendships
in my life. Give me the courage, wisdom, and knowledge on how to handle these
relationships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Study
the relationship that Jesus’ held with His betrayer Judas Iscariot. Read the
following Scriptures, Luke 22:47-48 and Matthew 26:48-50. How could Proverbs
12:20 and Romans 12:18 apply to the relationship between Jesus’ and Judas?
Reflections:
Do
I have a friend who is harmful to me emotionally and spiritually?
What
influence do I have on my friends?
Are
there any relationships in my life that I feel God is directing me to end?
Power
verses:
Proverbs
22:24, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one
easily angered.” (NIV)
Proverbs
21:10, “The wicked man craves evil; his neighbor gets no mercy from him.”
(NIV)
Proverbs
2:13-15, “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose
words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who
delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are
crooked and who are devious in their ways.” (NIV)
© 2007 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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