A Friend Loves At All Times

 

I have always been blessed with wonderful friends.  The greatest of which is my beautiful wife, Jamie, who honestly is my true companion.  I even have a friend, Brint Rice, my first cousin not removed, who joins me in the practice of replacing one another’s names with the title, “buddy” (this practice occasionally perturbs my true companion).  Good friends are a great blessing from God.  “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion” (Ecclesiastes 4:9).  Here are some helpful things I’ve learned about friends.

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly” (Proverbs 18:24).  In order to have friends you must be a friend.  What does the Bible say is involved in being a TRUE friend?  “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).  A true friend is always a friend, not just when it’s easy to be one.  It is written, “Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts” (Proverbs 19:6).  It’s not always an easy task to be a true friend.

A true friend (Christian brother/sister) is “born for adversity.”  They will be there in times of trouble.  They are forgiving and willing to make things right if they’ve done wrong or been wronged.  “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17).  When iron sharpens iron, the two pieces grind against one another while parts of both are filed off.  A true friend won’t always agree with you, and will, at times, help to remove negative things from your life.

Jesus is the friend who surpasses all others.  “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13).  If you are Jesus’ friend, you must be a friend of His children (1John 5:1-2).  How effectively are you fulfilling this commandment?  What do you need to do to become a TRUE friend…a friend to Jesus (John 15:14)…and a friend to others?

----Darrell Powell

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