What a joke. These people are saying, Well, yeah, I was a member of this professional team, or I was a writer, or I was an employee, or I did this, or I did that, and then about five years later, they just rip the person, the institution, the group, apart. Theyre not friends. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man, is that you? keeps a secret. Im talking about being confidential. If youre a friend listen to me now you keep a secret. You dont divulge the information, even if youre tortured or tempted by chocolate. You dont divulge any information.
Im going to show you the third principle concerning cultivating and watering relationships really, the fourth principle. Look at Proverbs 27:17. Skip about three verses. Proverbs 27:17, a very popular verse: As iron sharpens iron, friends shape friends. You want to circle the word shape. Friends shape friends. The final way to water a relationship is to be constructive. We shape our friends. Most of us dont realize it, but were shaping every person we come in contact with. Shaping them, molding them. Are you constructive? Are you building up your friends? Am I building up my friends? When I look at my friends, I want to see someone with a banner Im talking about subconsciously that says, Affirm me. Build me up. Tell me what a great person I am. Most of us dont know how to be constructive.
Concerning construction, if you really want to see who is in your corner, begin to get successful. Begin to get good things happening to you. The mark of a true friend is this: when good things happen to one party and dont happen to another party, how does that person handle it? Is there jealousy? Is there kind of a secret competition situation? Thats not a true friend.
You want to read about true friendship?
Ed Young Pastor tell us when you go home, try 1 Samuel 20. David and Jonathan. Heres Jonathan. His father who was a nut King Saul, was losing it. Jonathan was the next in line. He would be the President, the King, the CEO of Israel. However, the Lord taps David, Jonathans best friend, this Hebrew Hillbilly, on the shoulder, and says, David, youre going to be the next King of Israel. Saul watched David kill Goliath. Jonathan heard about it.
