Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy… faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy… Matthew 26:49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. From what i've read, many people take this differently. So, after reading several different translations, i believe this is trying to teach me how to decipher between a friend and a foe. Also, this word tells me that a friend may hurt my feelings by telling me the truth and helping me in the long run, but an enemy will hide the truth to appease me, harming me in the long run. After i read this scripture, something in me spoke to me and i felt that i should read about the fruit of the spirit. First, i was led to Matthew 7:18 A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. And also Matthew 12:33 A tree is identified by its fruit. if a tree is good, its fruit will be good. if a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. To know someones true character, we must be able to see wether their fruit is good or bad. A enemy will appear to produce good fruit, but if we dig a little deeper, we will see that the fruit they bear only looks sweet.
Dear God, i pray to have the ability to accept criticism from my friends and to have the strength to turn away from temptations of evil, no matter how sweet it may seem. I pray that i will be able to decipher between good and bad fruit, and also that i may produce good fruit. Amen
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