Speaking in Truth
If you have a friend who is honest with you, you have a treasure!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and when I talk about having a friend who is honest, I mean a friend who is brutally honest. Like my friend, Judy. We’ve been close companions for 35 years and know each other well, warts and all. The other day, we were in a meeting with several co-workers discussing a project – I felt energized, I felt enthused, full of ideas, so I wasted no time in spilling out all my suggestions all over the table. Afterward in a private moment, Judy said to me, “Joni, you completely hogged that discussion. You left absolutely no room for others to share their thoughts, and you weren’t even running the meeting! You didn’t even have the agenda.”
Well, my cheeks burned with resentment, but in my heart, you know I knew she was right. Glancing back over the details of that meeting, I realized I allowed more than just my enthusiasm to take charge; I let pride rule the moment. I violated the principle of one of my favorite verses in Philippians 2:3-4 where it says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” To be honest, I believe I privately thought that my ideas were better than anyone else’s around that table. So, with the Holy Spirit-conviction pressing on my conscience, I acknowledged, “Okay Judy, I can see how I was wrong. Thank you for keeping me on the straight and narrow, and yeah, I’m really grateful for a friend like you.”
You know it was Franklin Owen who once said, “Friendships form among people who strengthen one another.” The Bible says the same thing. Proverbs 27 says, “Iron sharpens iron; so one man sharpens another.” That’s what Judy was doing for me – she was sharpening me and holding me accountable to God’s design for me. Basically, it’s why God formed friendships. Good friendships keep us from becoming one dimensional. Friendships are like mirrors that reflect a true picture of who we really are. Others may flatter and gloss over your faults in order to not rock the boat, but true and genuine friends will be candid and straight-forward. It’s why God wants to surround you with honest, caring Christians; these are the ones who will help you see your ‘blind spots’ (and admit; we all have them). So, stop and think: Do you have an irritating “Judy” in your life? Sure, sometimes they can grate on you, and you’ll often butt heads, but you and I should have in our lives people who are firmly honest with us, and we should count them as our closest friends. After all, they are the best ones to help deflate any cherished ideas we may coddle of our own importance. It’s what a good friend does! As Ephesians 4:15 says, they speak the truth in love. They hold us accountable. They are fully committed to help you become the person God wants you to be.
And I’ll tell you someone else who will be brutally honest with you; that’s the Holy Spirit. Look at Jesus and the way He was with His friends. He was always speaking the truth to them and doing it in love. He was always holding those around Him accountable for their actions and attitudes. Jesus was fully committed to helping Peter and James and John be the people God wanted them to be. What a friend, what a good, honest friend we have in Jesus! Oh, today is the last day I’ll be offering the 12-page booklet that highlights the names of Jesus: Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer, and (that’s right), and Friend. Just visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org.
Previously aired on 8/19/11 as program #7645
© Joni and Friends
The Names of Jesus Booklet
This booklet describes 50 names of Jesus, their meanings, applications, and where they are referenced in the Bible. Knowing these names allows you to worship in new ways and meditate on His characteristics.
