Intent--a Sure Test of Friendship…

We have talked of friends and friendship and of the fact that no true friend would ever lead us into temptation, or to the making of memories that we would later be less than thankful for. With these thoughts, we have come to the conclusion that one sure test of friendship is to seek the welfare of him whose company we keep. Since this is so, a reasonable question to ask of everyone is this: “What do you intend?”

The inner intent of the hearts of men is a matter of surpassing importance. Do they intend good or evil? honesty or dishonesty? sincerity or deception? Do they intend to serve and to safeguard others, or do they intend selfish self-service, selfish self-indulgence at the expense of others?

At a time now sometimes called old-fashioned, fathers inquired concerning the intentions of those with whom their daughters kept company. And whatever we may call it, old-fashioned or otherwise, we cannot safely fail to consider the motives of men. The motives of everyone are important. The intent of the heart is important. It is what a man will likely do, when he can, if he can. Intent is the desire that leads to the doing of the deed.

For some well-known words we turn to Proverbs: “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

We must look to the motives of men. We must look to their real intent. And while some may say “old-fashioned,” and contend that times have changed, the nature of men has not, nor has God, nor have honor and honesty, virtue and chastity, cleanliness and self-respect, and happiness and peace inside ourselves, which, by all the experience of all the ages, are foremost among things most precious to be preserved.

It is never wise to yield a principle to save a supposed friendship. It is still essential to know the nature and motives of men and to safeguard the most precious and irreplaceable things−for with all our modern talk and so-called modern emancipation, we haven’t left behind the commandments of God, nor the consequences of not keeping them.