“Faithful are the wounds of a friend”
”Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6 I’ve been reminded lately of the power of words to either encourage and build up or discourage and tear down. There needs to be a balance between encouragement and constructive criticism. If all the recipient hears is correction, it demotivates the individual and is a source of discouragement. Paul floods 1st and 2nd Thessalonians with a higher concentration of encouraging words over any of his other letters. His tone is gentle and kind. He was only able to spend three weeks with them when he planted the church and he was anxious about them and the stability of their faith. He interacts with them as a concerned father, but he is not overbearing. He handles them with velvet gloves and shares with them that he rejoices before God over their genuine faith and the evidence of the presence of God in their lives. He doesn’t jump in with all the things they’re doing wrong and need to co