“Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Proverbs 27:6

A few years back, a friend gave me some sage advice, “Go for it. And if I see you doing something wrong, I’ll let you know.” In other words, he would lovingly rebuke me.

Jesus said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Sounds odd, right? I’ve got two perfectly good ears that take in various sounds all day long. I don’t have the choice not to hear. But I do have the choice whether to listen to or to ignore what my hear.

There have been times when I just couldn’t see that I was getting off the path with my current thinking. But through these Proverbs 27:6 friends, the Lord spoke loud and clear, “Chris, you’re stepping away from Me. Move closer.”

Did their words hurt? They wounded me bad. But, did I need to hear them? Oh yeah! Now, I had the choice to either justify myself and ignore them. Or, go to Jesus. Process their words through His word. And then apply what Jesus was showing me.

We need others to see what we are unable to see. And then, out love, tell us what they see while continuing to walk with us. So, who is your James 5:16 person? Read it for yourself. But notice, it doesn’t say everyone, but one another.

You need at least a few friends who will tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear. Friends who will also pray for you to become more like Jesus, which is part of what the word “healed” means.

Have ears that hear. When you do, greater joy and peace will be found as you move closer to Jesus.