Title
A Destroyer Of Friendships
Scripture
My son, if you become surety for your friend, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger… go humble yourself…Deliver yourself.
(Proverbs 6:1-5)
Devotional
Surety is the biblical term for cosigning on a note or being responsible for the debt of another. Herein is the surest way to destroy a friendship. First of all, as Proverbs says, “The borrower is servant to the lender.” Therefore, the relationship changes. Furthermore, if you are unable to acquire the needed financing on your own merit, you more than likely cannot afford the debt. There are at least two wise lessons here: first, do not ask, and second, do not agree. If saying no to cosigning severs your friendship, you never had the friendship in the first place. I would rather risk losing a friend by refusing to cosign than the certainty of, at best, changing a relationship. If a friend asks you to cosign for a debt, do not just refuse, but seek how you can help that friend with their endeavor. Either give or seek wise counsel with them. Resist the temptation to risk a friendship.