Friend: January 24, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 24, 2012.

FRIEND

DEFINITION:

A person on intimate and affectionate terms with another; supporters; well wishers.

SCRIPTURE:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” John 15:13-14

A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Psalm 18:24

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

People need friends desperately because human nature drives a person to need to communicate with someone in many situations in life. In this world we live in there are many types of friends.

Many friends we feel are what we call “fair weather friends.” They are with you as a friend as long as all is going well between the two of you or until another “friend” comes along. Since we are living in a “ME GENERATION,” many people keep friendships only as long as it benefits them. They are suddenly gone when you face a crises or situation when you really need a friend.

Where do you look for friends? This is a critical decision that every person must make when looking for friends. One needs to remember that where your heart is that is where you will feel most comfortable. When you love the Lord you need to look for friends in places where like-minded people who also love the Lord gather.

We developed friends in places where we were involved. But we found out that in some situations we were involved in gave us a different caliber of friends. One area where we developed friends with was the parents of children that played sports with our children. Many of these were not Christians so the friendship was different.

We developed friends with parents of children that went to the same school and church that our children attended. They attended a Christian school so there was a closer bond because of our mutual love for the Lord.

Our best friends in our lives were the leaders we met in missions. It was simple to see why this was so because our heart interests were the same. Take a moment to read the book of Philemon. It is only 25 verses long but Paul in these 25 verses talks to his brother in Christ, Philemon, the beloved friend and fellow laborer in the faith with Timothy about Christian brotherly love.

Paul writes Philemon to intercede for Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave. Through Paul, Onesimus had become a believer and developed a deep bond of friendship with Paul and was a help to Paul while Paul was in prison. Paul asks Philemon to be forgiving and welcome Onesimus back, not as a slave but as a Christian brother.

Paul reminds Philemon that they have a responsibility to love their friend Onesimus. We as believers have the same responsibility today to love our friends just as Jesus loves us. To love as Jesus does we must be forgiving of those who have wronged us and who seek our forgiveness and accept them back as a friend.

The three verses that we have written above are a reminder to us as to how we are always to live our lives in a spirit of love and be the kind of friend Jesus wants us to be. Do you show love to those friends that are counting on you for support and friendship? Do you show the love of Christ in your daily walk and talk? Do your friends see a difference in you than some of the other friends they may have?

It is important for us to remember that the greatest friend we have is Jesus. He is with us through thick and thin. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. What more can we expect or have?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Peter 2:2-3.

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

PRAYER:

I rejoice that I have You as my friend and Savior. Help me to be a friend that loves at all times and sticks closer than a brother. Help me to show others that You want to be their friend and help me to lead them to You.