Friend: Feburary 13, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2014.

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 17:17a

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:

After God created Adam He placed him in a beautiful and magnificent garden paradise with a river running through it. Adam had everything he needed and God had given him dominion over everything in the garden. God, however, saw something was missing. Adam was alone and God knew it was not good for Adam to be alone so God created Eve to be a helper for Adam.

We all need a helper and a friend in our life. As God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” Genesis 2:18. Indeed we all need a friend, someone who will be there for us and help us in our time of need. In this world we live in there are many types of friends. When we were raising our six children we constantly watched and discussed the importance of choosing the right kind of friends.

Children are easily swayed by their friends. We warned our children that many friends 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 that has something better to offer. There were times when we had to comfort our children because friends let them down.

In the world we live in today, the “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. The old saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed” is so true. The greatest characteristic of friendship is loyalty. A true friend loves at all times and sticks closer than a brother.

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 their heart is that is where there 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.

Throughout our lifetime we developed friends in places where we were involved in ministry or church or school activities involving our children. But we found out that in some situations where we became involved we met a different caliber of friends then what we were expecting. 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 we did not have as much in common and the bond of Christian fellowship was not there. 

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, about Christian brotherly love. They were beloved friends and fellow laborers in the faith so they had a lot in common.

Paul writes in this book and urges 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. A favorite old hymn we have often sung says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear: What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” Yes, you can tell Jesus everything because He already knows and He does not want us to go it alone.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Hebrews 11:6.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

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 be a witness to others so they will know what a friend they have in Jesus.