A True Friend For our devotional today we are doing to discuss being a true friend. This subject is hard for me to write about because I know I fail miserably as a true friend daily. Its difficult for me to be a friend because I have been deceived, hurt, lied to, cheated on, slapped, beaten, abused, used, and abandoned by so many so called friends and family members and this has made it difficult for me to be a true friend. Its hard for me to get too close to individuals for fear of getting hurt again. I want to say right here right now if you are a friend of mine and I have done any of the things listed above to you I apologize. Today more than ever I want my heart to be clean, open, and honest. My heart longs to be like the heart of Jesus - to love others like Jesus. Scripture tells us in Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. What is true friendship according to the Bible? The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the definition of a true friend: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:13-15). Jesus is the pure example of a true friend, for He laid down His life for His friends. What is more, anyone may become His friend by trusting in Him as his personal savior, being born again and receiving new life in Him. There is an example of true friendship between David and Sauls son Jonathan, who, in spite of his father Sauls pursuit of David and attempts to kill him, stood by his friend. You will find that story in 1 Samuel chapter 18 through chapter 20. Some pertinent passages are 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19: 4-7; 20:11-17, 41-42. Proverbs is another good source of wisdom regarding friends. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17). A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). The issue here is that in order to have a friend, one must be a friend. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Proverbs 27:6). As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). The principle of friendship is also found in Amos. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3 KJV). Friends are of like mind. The truth that comes from all of this is a friendship is a relationship that is entered into by individuals, and it is only as good or as close as those individuals choose to make it. Someone has said that if you can count your true friends on the fingers of one hand, you are blessed. A friend is one whom you can be yourself with and never fear that he or she will judge you. A friend is someone that you can confide in with complete trust. A friend is someone you respect and that respects you, not based upon worthiness but based upon a likeness of mind. Finally, the real definition of a true friend comes from the Apostle Paul: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8). Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends (John 15:13). Now, that is true friendship! The fact is that friends are indispensable in this life. The older a person gets the more valued their friendship becomes. Many friends are closer than brothers or sisters are to each other. There is something special about having a friend that you can confide in, tell your troubles too, and share your life with. It has been said that a sorrow shared is halved, but a joy shared is doubled. Proverbs 27:10a says, “Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family” because you may need that friend in a day of trouble. The value of friends is one of the most important things in a person’s life: Their worth are not diminished by time, not devalued by inflation, not worn out by use, but like a fine wine, they improve with time. So are friends to those who have them; like medicine to the soul or as Proverbs 27:9 says, “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.” God is my one true friend and I hope that I can call all DIVAS my friends too. I pray for you daily - for protection, peace, financial blessings, for your parents, your spouses, your children and their children, your job, and for God to richly bless your lives. My prayer for today is that I truly become a friend to others today just as David and Jonathan were best friends. God bless my friends today. Pastor Beverly
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:15:37 +0000
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