What can separate good friends?

Proverbs 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

We looked at this verse on Wed, in our through the Bible Study.

It talks about 2 kinds of people, or 2 kinds of actions, with 2 kinds of results. It speaks of love and it speaks of separation. It speaks of transgression, and it speaks of what might be done with that transgression, that is to cover it.

The wisdom of God here, tells us that the person who covers a transgression, is seeking love. To cover, means to hid, to conceal, to clothe, to spread over. Transgression, means sin, or rebellion, either against God or against people.

So, if someone sins, we don't have to go and tell anyone about it, but, we can cover it, we can conceal it, we can keep it to ourselves. And by doing so, we are seeking love. Being loving towards someone in their transgression, is exactly how the Lord is towards us. He seeks to bring His love into our lives when we have sinned. He does everything He can to cover it, to forgive it etc, etc.

On the other hand, if a person becomes aware of someone else's sin, and they repeat it, or "do it again" that is to tell it to someone else, can wind up separating the best of friends.

The meaning could also be, that if you sin, and your friend is gracious towards you, and seeks to cover your sin in love, but you continually take advantage of their graciousness, that you could lose that friendship. That's one way to separate the best of friends, by taking advantage of their love.

But, surely, the other meaning is something we see all the time in life, that someones sin gets spread around by word of mouth, and it gets back to someone, and a friendship is lost. Good friends are separated.

Lord, help us to be like You are towards sin, and towards sinners. Help us to be towards others the way that You are towards us. Full of Grace, Full of Mercy, and Full of Forgiving Love. May we make friends and not separate friends.

In Jesus name ....amen

Bob Grenier

Senior Pastor Calvary Chapel Visalia

P.S.......some practical applicational thoughts.

God has plenty of love to give us to give to others.

Others need the love of God just as much as we do.

Friends are a blessing, let's bless them, and help them be better friends.

Covering someone's transgression, can be done by just bringing it to the Lord and asking for His help.

Let's leave others transgression with the Lord, He will take care of it, and of them.

God's way to keep us from adultery

Hello, and good morning to you. In reading my daily reading today, I was in Proverbs 7, and while it's something I read at least once a month, ( I try to read a chapter of Proverbs everyday ) I was struck by the first few verses.

I saw this as God giving us His prescription, to keep us from adultery. ( which of course is so prevalent today, and is so destructive, as the later portion of the chapter spells out )

First of all........Realize who you are. You are God's Child, ( my son ) you have a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. You are not your own, but you have been bought with a price, and you belong to God. You are part of His family, You are His child.

Second......and, these all have to do with our Father's Word, the Word of God ( Jesus is the Living Word of God having come in the flesh ) But, here's what's said about how we are to relate to the Word of God.

Keep My Words

Treasure My Commands within you

Keep my Commands and live

And my law as the apple of your eye

Bind them on your fingers.

Write them on the tablet of your heart

Say to wisdom, you are my sister

And call understanding your nearest kin

There are 8 things said there. All of them having to do with God's Word.

I find it helpful to take each of those exhortations, and to really think about what they mean.

They are all directing us to a very personal intimate association with the Word of God.

There is alot more to say about these exhortations, but I've got to run.

Last thing is, that there is a promise from the Lord that if we keep His Word as mentioned above, that His Word will keep us from the immoral woman, and from the seductress who flatters with her lips.

Finally, the rest of chapter 7, is an explanation of what happens to the man or person who is not kept from immorality and adultery, and it explains in depth what happens

I hope this has been helpful to you.

Pastor Bob Grenier