Friends
Proverbs 17:17 TPT
A dear friend will love you no matter what, and a family sticks together through all kinds of trouble.
Proverbs 18:24 TPT
Some friendships don’t last for long, but there is one loving friend who is joined to your heart closer than any other.
Proverbs 17:17 NKJV reads, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” A true friend can be defined as a companion, neighbor, fellowman, a familiar person. It means to “associate with” and “to be a friend of” in Hebrew. The prescription for a healthy friendship is “a friend should love at all times.” We have a responsibility to our friends. The family of God, the Body of Christ as described in the Bible, is a shelter for each and every member of that family, from the youngest to the very oldest. This means we are there for each other, through the good times and the bad, through thick and through thin. Psalm 101:5 tells us, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.” I have been in church families before who were no so nice, even to the point of lying and slandering others and me. All for what gain? It was to try to break those who they thought were standing in their way, for whatever reason they had in their mind at the time. Slander, lies, false accusations are what the enemy of our soul loves to get started and moving from one vulnerable listening person to the next. Proverbs 24:28 tells us, “Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, for would you deceive with your lips? 29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” How childish and petty are those who act this way. There have been those brothers and sisters in the Lord over the years, that were there for me, even in my lowest hours. They have stood by me and loved and received me unconditionally. I felt the true love of God oozing from them. No judgment, no condemnation, just pure love. Genuine friendship shines through not in the awesome times of great blessing, not in prosperity. Friendship is at its best in the times of trouble. You know you can close your eyes in exhaustion and brokenness and your friend will have your back. There are the wise and prudent and then there is the fool, scoffer, or mocker. The former seeks wisdom and loves care and instruction; the latter fully neglects discipline and spurns reproof. Win at any cost, so says the fool, even to the detriment of others. Take inventory of what kind of friend you are. Do you love unconditionally or do you have unrealistic expectations and conditions on your friends? Take a good look at your own heart today. Be pleasing to the Lord and a blessing to others.
What about you? What kind of a friend are you? What kind of friends do you have in your life? Are they a blessing, or are they users? Ask the Lord today to help you know and recognize what would be pleasing to Him in your relationships. Seek to be a true friend who loves at all times. He will bless you for it. Have a blessed day in Him.
