Sweet Counsel

For Monday, November 26, 2007
Proverbs 27:9

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

There seems no solution to your problem. You stay awake with worry. Life could not be worse. Then a friend appears. You share your trouble. He provides an insight into the problem that you had not seen. Yes, that's it! How wonderful is his counsel!

You are embarking on a new venture. It seems a bit risky, but you are excited about the potential. Everything seems to be falling into place. You share your plans with your friend. He reminds you of a weakness you have that would lead to trouble. It is hard to receive but as you consider what he says, you realize that he has saved you from disaster. How good it is to have such a friends.

The scenarios vary, but the lesson is the same. The counsel of a friend who is wise and truly loves you, of a friend who is godly is real pleasure. The counsel itself is good because it is true, but receiving it from a friend who gives it out of earnestness, because he feels love for you - that gives the counsel its sweet aroma. For you leave not only wiser, but having felt loved. That is good friendship.