Hello, friends. Thanks for joining us for today's word of encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The devotional writer for today is James Banks, and he's given us the reading titled

The Kindness of Cander. My dear friend, sometimes you sound holier than you really are.

Those words were leveled with a direct gaze and a gentle smile. Had they come from someone other than a

close friend and mentor whose discernment I highly valued, my feelings might have been hurt. Instead,

I winced and laughed at the same time,

knowing that while his words hit a nerve, he was also right. Sometimes when I talked about my faith,

I used jargon that didn't sound natural, which gave the impression that I wasn't being sincere.

My friend loved me and was trying to help me be more effective in sharing with others what I genuinely believed. Looking back, I see it as some of the

best advice I ever received. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, Solomon wisely wrote, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27, verse 6.

My friend's insights demonstrated the truth of that counsel. I was grateful he cared enough to tell me

something I needed to hear, even though he knew it might not be easy to accept.

Sometimes, when someone tells you only what they think you want to hear,

it isn't helpful because it can keep you from growing and developing in vital ways.

Cander can be kindness when measured out with genuine humble love. May God give us the wisdom to receive it and impart it well,

and so reflect his caring heart. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from

Proverbs 27, verses 1 through 9.

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth, an outsider, and not your own lips.

Stone is heavy and stand a burden, but a fool's provocation is heavier than

both. Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Better is open rebuke than

hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. One who is full,

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