Friendship

 

	“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
	—Proverbs 18:24

Genuine friendship is a quality whose value simply cannot be measured. More valuable than silver or gold, the love, companionship, acceptance, and support of a friend can tip the balance of life in your favor—even when you feel assailed on every side by the cares and trials of this world.

Celebrate the joys of friendship this day. Even more so, celebrate the joy of having a friend like the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who “sticks closer than a brother.”

When God graciously brings loving friends into your life, make certain that you thank Him for this evidence of His love and care. Recognize that through the friends He gives you, God shows how determined He is to shower you with His love.

At the same time, do not be ensnared by so-called “friends” who lead you down a dark path. Turn away from those who would direct you toward evil. Do not allow false loyalties to jeopardize your faithfulness to God and to His Word.

Let this be a day during which you rejoice in the friendships God has given you. Tell your friends how much you appreciate them. Let them know that you do not take their friendship for granted.

Become an instrument of God’s love in the lives of your friends. Show them compassion, kindness, support, and acceptance. Build them up in their faith. Be an example to them. Shower them with mercy and grace.

The Christian writer, Jonathan Merritt has said it well:

“In showing God’s love to your friends, when a person is truly important to you, you don’t ‘find time’ for him or her. Rather, you ‘make time’ for him or her.”

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}