“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” |
—Proverbs 18:24 |
Have you ever had someone in your life that you thought was your friend, but then you discovered that he or she was not really at all reliable? Most of us have had this experience.
King Solomon had a bit of advice to give regarding friendship. That advice is found in Proverbs 18:24:
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Those of us who follow the Lord Jesus Christ have found such a close-sticking friend in Him. He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 13:6).
This is such an important concept that numerous authors have penned most excellent prose regarding it. Among those authors is Oswald Chambers, a great leader in the Christian faith at the turn of the 20th century. Since his death in 1917 from complications due to an appendectomy, Chambers’ writings have become classics among devoted Christians.
In what is perhaps his most famous book, My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers writes about this concept of friendship with Christ in a devotional entitled “The Never-Forsaking God”.
As we begin a new day, we should recognize that God has provided a friend that sticks closer than a brother in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He also promotes this kind of enduring friendship among believers. We should strive to be that kind of friend to those God has brought into our circle of fellow believers. If we do so, we will reap a very significant reward. For such friendship is priceless.