Everybody Needs A True Friend
Dear Friends,
Some weeks back, my daughter, Jess, had an after school detention. She was told to attend the Athletics Club and practice the long jump. When she came home after the detention she told me how one of her friends had come along to the detention too. It turned out that this friend had not been given the same detention, had not even been in the same P.E lesson where Jess had been given the detention, but had gone along with her just to support her. When Jess told me this, I thought what a great lesson in friendship it was.
We all need a good friend in our lives. Not one who is just there to enjoy the good times with us, but one who stands by us when times are difficult. In The Parable of The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) the father gives his youngest son his inheritance and "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living." v13 (NIV). While he had money he had all the "friends" he could ask for and times were good, until his money ran out, then his so-called friends ran out on him. He had no-one to stand by him in his time of need. "After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." v14-16 (NIV) His friends were no friends at all, they were only friends with him for what they could get out of the relationship, when his circumstances changed, his friends made a swift exit, he was no longer of any use to them.
But, true friends stay with us and support us when we are facing a tough time. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) A true friend is loyal and is there for us when we are in need. A true friend encourages, rejoices when you rejoice and comforts you when you are upset. "Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]." Romans 12:15 (Amp) A true friend is one who is not just there for what they can get from the relationship but what they can also give to the relationship, and both friends are blessed by the relationship. We can share what's on our hearts with a true friend and know that they will keep what we have confided to them, we can share our hopes and dreams with them and we can be ourselves with them. A true friend also speaks the truth to us, when our behaviour or attitudes or speech needs some correcting, they let us know, not in such a way to condemn, judge or criticise but because they love us and because they want us to be the best we can be. That's why it says in Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." (NIV)
To return to where I began with Jess and her friend, although Jess' friend was with Jess as she was punished, and joined in with the punishment, she did not take the punishment for her, and it reminded me of how Jesus actually stepped in for me and for you and took the punishment we deserved for our sins. He chose to die on the cross, bearing the weight of my sins, taking the punishment on himself in my place, so that I might receive God's forgiveness and have the opportunity to become a friend of God. Jesus said in John 15:13 "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (NLT)
The friendships we have, as good as they are, as much as they mean to us, as much as they are needed, are not meant to replace the friendship that we can have with Jesus. Friends cannot be everything to us, God never designed them to be, they cannot be there for us all the time, they have their own lives to lead with their own set of responsibilities, but the blessing of having Jesus as our friend is that he can be our all in all, he is there with and for us 24/7 and we can completely rely on him. I'm so grateful to God that I can enjoy that kind of relationship with Jesus, that I can call him my friend and, not only that, but that he also really wants to be my friend.
I'm so grateful too for the handful of true friends God has blessed me with, how they have stood by me, encouraged and supported me during difficult times and how they have gladly and genuinely celebrated with me in the good times, and, of course, it's not just about having friends like these but it's also about being a friend like this. To have a friend we need to be a friend. Proverbs 18:24 says "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (NKJV) This verse reminds me once more of Jesus and the kind of friend he is to us, he is the best example of what it's like to be a true friend.
To Think About:
Who has God brought into your life as a true friend? How have they shown themselves to be a true friend?
How have you shown yourself to be a true friend to them?
Do you know Jesus as your friend? How can/do you relate to him as your friend? What do you learn from him which helps you to be an even better friend to others?
Vicki
Some weeks back, my daughter, Jess, had an after school detention. She was told to attend the Athletics Club and practice the long jump. When she came home after the detention she told me how one of her friends had come along to the detention too. It turned out that this friend had not been given the same detention, had not even been in the same P.E lesson where Jess had been given the detention, but had gone along with her just to support her. When Jess told me this, I thought what a great lesson in friendship it was.
We all need a good friend in our lives. Not one who is just there to enjoy the good times with us, but one who stands by us when times are difficult. In The Parable of The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) the father gives his youngest son his inheritance and "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living." v13 (NIV). While he had money he had all the "friends" he could ask for and times were good, until his money ran out, then his so-called friends ran out on him. He had no-one to stand by him in his time of need. "After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." v14-16 (NIV) His friends were no friends at all, they were only friends with him for what they could get out of the relationship, when his circumstances changed, his friends made a swift exit, he was no longer of any use to them.
But, true friends stay with us and support us when we are facing a tough time. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) A true friend is loyal and is there for us when we are in need. A true friend encourages, rejoices when you rejoice and comforts you when you are upset. "Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]." Romans 12:15 (Amp) A true friend is one who is not just there for what they can get from the relationship but what they can also give to the relationship, and both friends are blessed by the relationship. We can share what's on our hearts with a true friend and know that they will keep what we have confided to them, we can share our hopes and dreams with them and we can be ourselves with them. A true friend also speaks the truth to us, when our behaviour or attitudes or speech needs some correcting, they let us know, not in such a way to condemn, judge or criticise but because they love us and because they want us to be the best we can be. That's why it says in Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." (NIV)
To return to where I began with Jess and her friend, although Jess' friend was with Jess as she was punished, and joined in with the punishment, she did not take the punishment for her, and it reminded me of how Jesus actually stepped in for me and for you and took the punishment we deserved for our sins. He chose to die on the cross, bearing the weight of my sins, taking the punishment on himself in my place, so that I might receive God's forgiveness and have the opportunity to become a friend of God. Jesus said in John 15:13 "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (NLT)
The friendships we have, as good as they are, as much as they mean to us, as much as they are needed, are not meant to replace the friendship that we can have with Jesus. Friends cannot be everything to us, God never designed them to be, they cannot be there for us all the time, they have their own lives to lead with their own set of responsibilities, but the blessing of having Jesus as our friend is that he can be our all in all, he is there with and for us 24/7 and we can completely rely on him. I'm so grateful to God that I can enjoy that kind of relationship with Jesus, that I can call him my friend and, not only that, but that he also really wants to be my friend.
I'm so grateful too for the handful of true friends God has blessed me with, how they have stood by me, encouraged and supported me during difficult times and how they have gladly and genuinely celebrated with me in the good times, and, of course, it's not just about having friends like these but it's also about being a friend like this. To have a friend we need to be a friend. Proverbs 18:24 says "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (NKJV) This verse reminds me once more of Jesus and the kind of friend he is to us, he is the best example of what it's like to be a true friend.
To Think About:
Who has God brought into your life as a true friend? How have they shown themselves to be a true friend?
How have you shown yourself to be a true friend to them?
Do you know Jesus as your friend? How can/do you relate to him as your friend? What do you learn from him which helps you to be an even better friend to others?
Vicki
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