Today in Acts we read of Paul's departure from Ephesus and he states in Acts 20:32, "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
Paul has developed a very close relationship with the elders in Ephesus and his departure was emotional. They were sorry to see him leave! But in his closing remarks, he gave them encouragement and told them that God will be with them, and they will continue to find comfort in His words. He also told them that among all the believers, they will have favor. God still provides this comfort to us today, and provides blessing upon blessing to His flock of believers. By our daily reading in His word, by building our relationship with Him through prayer, by keeping His commandments, we can find comfort even when our close Christian friends have gone on. We can find favor even when no one believes in us.
Proverbs 17:9 says, "He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends."
Solomon knows people! He knows that people can be chatty. Remember that Navy saying, "Loose lips sink ships!"? It's applicable to friends as well. We're always trying to encourage one another and to be open and honest in our relationships with them with respect to feelings, faults and failures. But, our willingness to reveal the darker side of our lives is dependent on the ability and desire of the listener to maintain a confidence. The Bible encourages us as listeners to "cover" transgressions with love, to protect the privacy of information, rather than tell it to others by gossip.
Blessings to all
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