Truth.

"Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks, and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks."

-Phillip Brooks

"Truth has to change hands only a few times to become fiction."

-Dawson County (GA) Advertiser

"A truth that's told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent."

-William Blake

"A man who is proud that he always tells the truth should first make sure that he tells the necessary truths for honorable motives, and not unnecessary truths for hurtful motives."

-Anonymous

"A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape."

-Proverbs 19:5

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed."

-Proverbs 19:9

"There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception.

"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God.'

"As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell on the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified" (Acts 5:1-5).

You know the rest of the story. Three hours later Mrs. Ananias came to the apostles, used the same lie, and was told, "Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out, too" (v. 9). Poor Sapphira . . . she hit the floor and died too! Neither one escaped and both were destroyed.

Not all who lie will drop dead like Ananias and Sapphira but lies will come back and may make liars wish they were dead. Even confessed lies have a way of haunting us for years. Some even come back to plague and slowly suck the life out of liars. We do know from these scriptures that liars will be punished, will not escape, and will be destroyed. Lying puts a person in great danger!

Ananias and Sapphira were okay with the sale of their property. Peter even told Ananias, "The property was yours to sell . . ." It wasn't the sale of the property that got him into trouble (and the grave), it was the lie!

Ananias and Sapphira told not only a lie but committed a premeditated crime. "He (Ananias) brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception." This couple thought about the lie before it was even audible. It was a lie that came from the heart, to the mind, to the tongue, to the grave. Many lies are for our own personal defense (still wrong) but this lie was premeditated, deceptive, and deadly.

You've got to wonder why Ananias and Sapphira lied in the first place. We know that Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart?" What was the devilish motivation? Was it pride? Did Ananias and Sapphira want to get their names on the church giving honor roll? Did someone else give more? We know others had given: ". . . people who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need" (Acts 4:34-35).

We also know a man named Joseph, " . . . sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for those in need" (Acts 4:37).

We can only theorize as to why they lied. Pride is a strong contender for the motive but it's just a guess on my part. Whatever the motivation, a lie was spoken, and the outcome was disaster.

Ananias and Sapphira didn't lie to the apostles or anyone else who may have been present that day, they lied to God. Peter said, "How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God." How it must hurt the heart of God when we lie. God is truth and when we lie we personally attack his character, integrity, and holiness.

I do not know one person who has never lied! Not one person. Not even our wonderful grandchildren!

Last week I went outside to the garage and, low and behold, in our driveway I found two dogs, four of our grandkids . . . and one pile of glass that was, at one time, a jar.

"Who did this?" I asked.

"I didn't do it. It was Trey," responded Maddie.

"I didn't do it," said Ryan.

"I didn't do it," answered Drew.

Trey said, "Not me!"

Being older and wiser and a lot more spiritual, I rephrased the question, "I don't think you understood what I asked. I didn't ask who didn't break the jar, I asked who did break it. Somebody broke it and I would like to know who."

"I don't know."

"Me either."

"Ummm . . . it was Trey," said Maddie.

"?"

Being older and wiser and a lot more spiritual and a little more frustrated, I said, "So nobody knows who broke the jar, is that right?"

No response, only four kids checking out the asphalt at their feet.

"That means all four of you are lying, right? Nobody's telling the truth."

No response.

"You do know that God says lying is wrong, don't you?"

Nodding of four heads, all in the "yes" direction.

"Okay then, who broke the jar?"

"I didn't do it. It was Trey," responded Maddie.

"I didn't do it," said Ryan.

"I didn't do it," answered Drew.

Trey said, "Not me!"

I finally said, "If you guys break something accidentally I want to know it. I won't be upset with you. I just want you to tell me the truth. Things can happen accidentally, lies happen on purpose. I'd like to know who broke this but I don't think I'm going to get the answer. If you guys are going to come up here, break stuff, and lie about it, maybe you should play at home."

I wasn't mad but I was extremely disappointed . . . and they didn't go home (I'm glad). I was very disappointed that four of my own grandkids would lie to me and stick to their guns about their lies. Who knows? Maybe all four were telling the truth. I'm sure there must be phantom glass-breakers who live under the chicken house or perhaps lightning hit that jar that sunny morning or a small meteorite . . . I don't know. Probably never will.

I do know this, it sure made me think of the many times I've disappointed and hurt my heavenly Father. I believe I could even sense just a tiny, tiny bit of the grief I must put on the heart of the Father every time I do one of those I-didn't-do-it things.

Yep, we're all liars. We've all got it coming.

"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:4).

God's grace is sufficient.

By the way . . .

Trey didn't do it.

Mythbusters.

"Always tell the truth. Then you don't have to worry about what you said last."

-Robert Cook

"Some people live their whole lives just around the corner from the world of truth."

-Carl F. H. Henry

"Four high school boys, afflicted by spring fever, skipped morning classes. After lunch they reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire.

"Much to their relief, she smiled and said, 'Well, you missed a test this morning, so take seats apart from one another and get out your notebooks.'

"When they had settled down, she said, 'First question: which tire was flat?'"

-Foster Quinn

"Any story sounds true until someone sets the record straight."

-Proverbs 18:17

In 1973 Adrian Rogers shared the following illustration at The National Conference on Revival at Castle Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. Because of its nature, humor, and message related to this Proverb, I thought you would enjoy it.

"Did you hear about the man who came into the church office one day? Oh, he was so upset! He had just opened the broom closet and in that broom closet there were five brand new brooms. He hit the ceiling!

"He went into the secretary's office and said, 'Who authorized anybody to buy five brand new brooms at one time?' Well of course she didn't know so he went to the educational director and he couldn't satisfy this man and finally it ended up on the pastor's desk . . . and there was this man, just fuming!

"The pastor said, 'Well, brother, I don't know why we bought five brooms, maybe we use a lot of brooms, maybe there was a sale on brooms, I don't know, but listen man, it's not worth all that. Don't get so exercised over just five brooms!'

"(You know, every church has its self-styled watchdog.)

"So later on the pastor was talking to the treasurer about this thing and he said, 'You know, I don't understand how a man can get so upset over just five brooms.'

"The treasurer just laughed and said, 'Well pastor, I can understand that. How would you feel if you saw everything you'd given to the church in the past year . . . tied up in five new brooms?'"

Someone set that story straight!

Here's another:

"Some time later, two prostitutes came to the king (Solomon) to have an argument settled.

"'Please, my Lord,' one of them began, 'this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. Three days later, she also had a baby. We were alone; there was only two of us in the house. But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. Then she got up in the night and took my son from me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't my son at all.'

"Then the other woman interrupted, 'It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.'

"'No,' the first woman said, 'the dead one is yours, and the living one is mine.' And so they argued back and forth before the king.

"Then the king said, 'Let's get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead child belongs to the other. All right, bring me a sword.' So a sword was brought to the king. Then he said, 'Cut the living child in two and give half to each of these women!'

"Then the woman who really was the mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, 'Oh no, my Lord! Give her the child--please do not kill him!'

"But the other woman said, 'All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us.'

"Then the king said, 'Do not kill him, but give the baby to the woman who wants him to live, for she is the mother'" (1 Kings 3:16-27)!

Before you share a story . . .

set the record straight.

Grandchildren.

"Nothing makes a child as smart as having grandparents."

-Franklin P. Jones

"Children need models rather than critics."

-Joseph Joubert

"Elephants and grandchildren never forget."

-Andy Rooney

"Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children."

-Proverbs 17:6 NLT

A few Saturdays ago I wanted to paint the chicken house. (The bunnies live there too.) To do so I enlisted the help of our grandchildren . . . and one stray; he's one of our adopted grandkids and we count him as part of the crew. After giving out brushes and two one-gallon cans of barn red paint they began painting and did a very good job. I do realize now that I need taller grandkids since the chicken house was only painted about two-thirds of the way up the walls. (I finished the upper portion later.) It was a fun project and we did accomplish a lot in a rather short period of time. We also had great fun doing something together. We do have one bunny with a barn red nose but other than that things seemed rather normal for a painting project. Our next project will be the treehouse and then, maybe, the garage.

I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker, "If I had known grandkids were so much fun I would have had them first!" My favorite grandkid quote is, "Grandkids are God's blessing for not killing your kids!"

We have a sign in our kitchen:

NANA'S KITCHEN

WHERE MEMORIES ARE MADE

AND GRANDKIDS ARE SPOILED.

Ever since we've had that sign I've wanted to take a marker and add the word, "rotten" at the end! Maybe I'll do that today!

Nana is a much better grandparent than I. She has more patience in her little finger than I would have in my whole body if I could live three lifetimes. She thinks they won't really get clean unless they take their baths at our house. Our pantry is their Snack Shack. (The snacks are usually the healthy kind but the grandkids don't know that!) Often one or two can be found sleeping on a Nana-made bed at the foot of our bed. That's Nana! I'm thinking, "Margaret, you do know they have their own bedrooms about a hundred yards from here!"

Children are important to Jesus. In Mark 10:13-16, we read, "One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, 'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.' Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them."

As I see it, Jesus did two much needed things that day: He touched the children and he blessed the children. Actually, Jesus did three much-needed things that day because he taught some parents and his own disciples that children were very important to him.

Kids need to be touched! They need hugs, pats on the back, high-fives, tickles, and lots of love. But kids can be touched in other ways as well. We can always be touching their hearts and minds and spirits. We can encourage, motivate, challenge, strengthen, and teach. Our homes should be havens where children can hide out in security, love, and acceptance. Reggie Joiner, one of the greatest children's workers I know, said, "What happens at home is more important than what happens at church." I recently baptized two young girls, both were led to Jesus by their parents at home! Isn't that great? Touched!

Children need to be blessed! I'm not sure what all that entails. I looked up bless in the dictionary and the picture is somewhat clearer. Bless means, "to confer or invoke divine favor upon; ask God to look favorably on; express or feel gratitude to; thank." Blessed is "endowed with divine favor and protection." In the light of those definitions I can see how Jesus feels.

Jesus overrulled his disciples, "'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them!' . . . Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them." Dr. Charles Stanley said, "The Greek word implies He blessed them fervently. We wonder if He prayed to His Father out loud for each child. Perhaps He used an Old Testament benediction. We can be sure the parents never, ever forgot what they saw and heard.

"Perhaps the disciples didn't, either."

That leads us to our third much-needed thing: Children are very important and valuable to Jesus. They are priceless treasures that he invokes divine favor upon, looks favorably on, is thankful for, and wants protected. And, he wants to use us, parents and grandparents, in the process.

And . . . we better do it now. They grow up way to fast. The great theologian, Erma Bombeck, wrote these words about the statement, "Why don't you grow up?"

"It's not time yet. It can't be. I''m not finished. I had all the teaching and the discipline and the socks to pick up and the buttons to sew on, and those lousy meal worms to feed the lizard every day. . . . There was no time for loving. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Did they ever know I smiled? Did they ever understand my tears? Did I talk too much? Did I say too little? Did I ever look at them and really see them? Did I now them at all? Or was it all a lifetime of 'Why don't you grow ups?'

"I walk through the house and mechanically shut a refrigerator door that is already shut. I stoop to retrieve a towel that has not fallen to the floor but hangs neatly on the towel rack. From habit, I smooth out a spread that is already free of wrinkles. I answer a phone that has not rung and with a subtlety that fools no one, I hide the cake in the over.

"And I shout, 'Why don't you grow up?'

"And the silence where once abounded frustration, fear, disappointment, resentment, compassion, joy, and love echoes, 'I did.'"

They do.

Pride.

"Swallow your pride occasionally. It's nonfattening."

-Frank Tyger

"Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it."

-Buddy Robinson

"Pride is the mask of one's own faults."

-Hebrew Proverb

"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity."

-Frank Leahy

"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall."

-Proverbs 16:18

God does not like pride! That's the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance. In Proverbs you can read more about God's feelings about pride:

"All who fear the Lord will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech" (Proverbs 8:13).

"The Lord despises pride; be assured the proud will be punished" (Proverbs 16:5).

"Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor" (Proverbs 18:12).

"Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor" (Proverbs 29:23).

In the New Testament, Jesus said, "For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored" (Luke 18:14b). Pride, as God sees it is man's desire to take full credit for his own life. "I did this . . . I did that . . . I am . . . I, I, I." Someone once said, "I is at the center of the word pride." Someone else said, "You can't have the word pride without I." No matter how you look at it, pride is despised by God and unhealthy and unholy for man. Man's attempt to be honored is futile as long as pride is part of his equation. Man's attempt to be honored is in total opposition to God's plan for honor. God says honor comes with humility, not pride, power, and possessions. Jesus said, " . . . the humble will be honored."

How then do we know we've stepped over the line? What do we look for when dealing with pride?

First, we must understand that pride is an attitude of the heart. In Luke 18:11-12, hear the prayer of a proud Pharisee, "The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you , God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.'" Get the picture? Seven times in this short prayer the Pharisee refers to his excessively high opinion of himself and his importance. His pride is from his heart. He believes all that stuff! It's a heart issue.

Second, pride is unforgiving and, because of that, unforgiven. ". . . and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us" (Matthew 6:12).

"The prayers of a person who ignores the law are despised" (Proverbs 28:9).

"If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18). God wants to hear and respond to the prayers of the humble. The prayer he longs to hear from the proud is, "O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner."

Pride is quick to say, "I'll never forgive you for what you've done." Because a person will not forgive, anger, bitterness, revenge, and pride have a fully-furnished home in which to reside; all paid in full by the owner of that home.

Third, pride always has to be in the spotlight. Did you notice, ". . . the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed" (Luke 18:13). While humility is always content to be behind the scenes, pride always has to be center-stage. Turn on the spotlight, here's what I'm doing for God, I am the center of attention . . . look at me! Where you find pride you find conflict because pride demands praise and if someone else is receiving the praise there will be conflict!

The message we need to grasp is, God hates pride. It was pride that made sin a reality and brought sin into this world. God hates pride so much that he will allow adversity in our lives to keep pride from becoming an issue.

I have met Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, only one time. It was a short introduction, a casual greeting, and somehow I walked away with one of his autographed books, "It's Easier To Succeed Than To Fail." He signed his signature and a Biblical reference, S. Truett Cathy, Proverbs 22:1. "Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold."

Truett Cathy has both: a good reputation and great riches. What he does not have is pride. In my short visit with Truett Cathy I knew I was standing in the presence of humility. The things that make him great are the small not-often-noticed things he does and the person he is.

He genuinely cares for other people. I have often said, "Be careful when you pray for patience because God will call you to teach sixth grade boys." Truett Cathy teaches thirteen- year-old boys in Sunday school every Sunday! He gives kids homes and godly parents, sends them to camp, provides college scholarships, provides jobs, motives students to dream, and always gives God the credit. I met in Truett Cathy an incredibly smart, creative, humble business man with a heart for God, and a passion for ministry . . . everything pride is not! I believe that is why he is so honored today.

"When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor" (James 4:10).

"God sets himself before the proud, but he shows favor to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5a).

I wonder . . . when God shows his favor to the humble if he's thinking . . .

"My pleasure."

Gentleness.

"A real gentleman is a combination of gentle strength and strong gentleness."

-George Monaghan

"Anger is quieted by a gentle word, just as fire is quenched by water."

-Megiddo Message

"Some arguments are sound, and nothing more."

-Richard Armour

"Never argue with a man who talks loud. You couldn't convince him in a thousand years."

-Megiddo Message

"Sometimes the only thing an argument proves is that two or more people are present!"

-Anonymous

"I have often regretted my speech, never my silence."

-Publius

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger."

-Proverbs 15:1 NLT

"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law" (Galatians 5:22). Gentle answers are the products of gentleness. Now that's not hard to understand, is it? And gentleness is the product of the Holy Spirit indwelling the lives of yielded believers.

There is much to be said of gentle answers:

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). Want to limit the anger around you? Try gentle answers. Flying off the handle only increases our chances of knock-down-drag-out arguments that make people angry. Sometimes harsh words even lead to violence and death. That leads us to a choice: a gentle answer or harsh words? Peace or wrath?

"Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit" (Proverbs 15:4). Gentle words are most often words of honest encouragement and/or correction. When words are deceitful and misleading they can crush the spirit and discourage the heart. Gentle words of encouragement and correction can lift the spirit and encourage the heart. Another choice: gentle word or deceitful tongue? Life and health or crushed spirits?

"Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time" (Proverbs 15:23). There's not even a choice! Say the right thing at the right time! These are words that everyone enjoys. Of course, there is never a right time to say the wrong things!

A few more verses to digest:

"A hothead starts fights; a cool-tempered person tries to stop them" (Proverbs 15:18).

"Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can crush opposition" (Proverbs 25:15).

King David spoke of his problem tongue this way in Psalm 39:1:

"I said to myself, 'I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say.'"

If the gentle answers are rare in what we say, this should be our prayer and commitment, "I will . . . not sin in what I say." There you have it. We must make a conscious effort to curb what we say and how we say it. So how do we do that?

Think before we speak! Instead of putting the mouth in motion before the brain is in gear, idle a few seconds giving the mind some time to think things through, organize the words, turn down the volume, and gently speak. What I'm about to say, is it kind or cutting? True or false? Fact or rumor? Necessary or not? Grateful or complaining?

Speak less! "Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow" (Proverbs 10:19). The more we talk the more chances we have to lose our cool, say the wrong thing, and make someone angry. Let's make our words encouraging, helpful, and thoughtful: the right words at the right time.

Start right now! If we haven't already started, right now would be the time to do so.

Will Noris, an American journalist wrote this little rhyme:

If your lips would keep from slips

Five things observe with care:

To whom you speak, of whom you speak,

And how . . . and when . . . and where.

That's worth memorizing!

Cleanliness.

"If you go long enough without a bath, even fleas will leave you alone."

-Ernie Pyle

"An empty stable stays clean, but no income comes from an empty stable."

-Proverbs 14:4 NLT

"Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox."

-Proverbs 14:4 NKJV

I like this verse because I've cleaned some barns before, and chicken houses, and rabbit hutches. They can get pretty nasty, smelly, and disgusting depending on the size of the critters living there. That's why I like the KJV translation of Proverbs 14:4, "Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox."

Before there was John Deere, Ford, and Farmall there were oxen. Oxen were the tractors before there were tractors! They pulled anything that needed pulled. But they were not house-broken. They could mess up a barn stall big time!

I first met real oxen in Williamsburg, Virginia years ago. Margaret and I were doing the tourist-thing and I spotted two oxen yoked together and hitched to a cart. From where I stood they looked like two common, every day, run-of-the-mill, ordinary bulls but the closer I got they larger they became. When I stood beside them I realized that oxen are big. I mean BIG, BIG! Huge, large, bulls on steroids. Wow! At the shoulders they stood about as high as I was tall! BIG guys they were!

I'm sure they were powerful too . . . and messy. Have you ever cleaned a barn, or a stable, or even a stall? Not a fun thing to do but necessary. Oxen, cows, horses, goats, and even chickens will never win the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. So for some farmer, years ago, who wanted a team of oxen, A.K.A. big and powerful farm equipment, he had to put up with a big mess as well!

Reminds me of church sometimes. If I've heard it once I've heard it a thousand times, "Who made this mess? Probably the youth!" "Who used the bus last? Probably the youth!" "Your kids were passing notes in the service! Did you know that?"

If we use students as the targets for every Mess Committee Firing Squad in our churches we'll soon become churches that are small, weak, and gray. In the future there will be . . . well . . . nothing!

The farmer never kicked the oxen out of the barn because of their messes. He knew he'd be pulling a plow all by himself! Couldn't afford that, can he? He took the bull by the horns and cleaned up.

Likewise, students are naturally messy. (They learn it from their parents sometimes!) I certainly don't advocate cleaning up their every mess but once in a while we need to look at the big picture and shut up, pick up, clean up, and get about the business at hand--harvesting for the Kingdom. It's also good to remember we all were kids once! Expect some messes and remember . . . that plow is heavy. We need all the help we can get. Students may be the leaders of the church of tomorrow but they do a whole lot of leading today! Let's not sacrifice the enthusiasm and strength of our kids on the alter of a clean barn!

When Margaret and I were students at Liberty University and lived in Lynchburg, Virginia, we always had college students living with us; three and four at a time. From time to time we had students who were cleanliness-challenged. At one point things got so messy that I put up a large sign in the kitchen: "If cleanliness is next to Godliness, we live on the outskirts of hell!" Things got better after the posting of that sign. We even started looking like a house instead of a barn.

Unlike oxen, kids can be trained to help with the cleaning!

Housebroken too!

Companionship.

"Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend."

-Charles Spurgeon

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

-Dale Carnegie

"A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

-Sunshine

"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."

-Henry Ford

"It's better to keep a friend from falling than to help him up."

-Arnold Glasow

"A valuable friend is one who'll you what you should be told, even if it offends you."

-Frank A. Clark

"Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm."

-Proverbs 13:20 NLT

You've heard it before and you'll hear it again, "You become who you run with." I believe it was Ben Franklin who said, "If you lie down with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas."

Friendships are important but not as important as being friendly. Today the focus is on having friends instead of being friendly. With that in mind--having friends-- we'll take a look at this proverb, "Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm" (Proverbs 13:20).

"Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6). "As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend" (Proverbs 27:17). We often fail to catch the true life-changing value of these verses because we value friends more than we value friendship. When our focus is friends, too often our thinking is, "What can I get out of this?" When our focus is friendship, our thinking is, "What can I give to this relationship?"

True friendships value wounds from a friend. Those wounds are often the results of the iron sharpening iron process. People do get hurt when wounded. It will be the attitude of the wounded that will determine the healing process and results.

We have two choices here . . . two destinations: wisdom or harm. Both destinations are linked heavily with friendship: Run with the wise, get wise. Run with fools, suffer harm. I think it is much easier for adults to heed this passage than it is for students. There seems to be an urge to merge. There's always that, "How many friends do you have on Facebook?" mentality as if a higher number of friends brings more happiness, accomplishment and love. I have not yet come upon a verse in the Bible telling us to have friends. I have, however, seen many verses in Proverbs dealing with the characteristics of being a good friend.

There are two questions we must ask as we consider this verse:

1. Will I choose to walk with the wise or will I choose to walk with the fools? That's not hard to answer, is it? We all want to walk with the wise and to learn from them.

2. Will those who walk with me walk with the wise or walk with the fool? That's more personal, isn't it? Where do we want to lead our friends? What about our families, children, grandkids? Will they walk with the wise?

A folk group, The New Christy Minstrels, did a song in the 60's that will probably never be sung in churches but it does (with some humor) take a look at the need for healthy realtionships:

It was early last september

as well as I remember

While strolling through the park in tipsy pride.

Not a word did I utter

as I lay down in the gutter

And this pig came up and lay down by my side.

Not a soul was I disturbing

as I lay there by the curbing

When this high-toned lady stopped

and I heard her say,

"You may tell someone who boozes

by the company he chooses."

And the pig got up and slowly walked away!

We are known by the company we keep . . . and the company we keep is known by the company it keeps!

Where are we leading?