Proverbs 27:9-10(NLT)
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. 10 Never abandon a friend—either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
August is the month that we celebrate friendships, and if you’re blessed to have one or a few that are true friends, then you’re very blessed indeed. Proverbs 27:9 teaches us that a sweet friendship delights the heart and refreshes the soul. A friend that cares about your best interest and has your back is a jewel to be treasured. We can also see from these verses that a friend can stick as close to you as a brother or sister. It is so wonderful that Heavenly Father has placed this standard for friendship in His Word, so that we can both choose our friends wisely and be a good friend to others as well.
The example of Jesus Christ gives us our very best illustration of what true friendship is. He said in John 15:13(NLT), “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” No human being alive or that has ever lived can do for humanity what our precious Lord and Savior has done. He gave his life on Calvary to save us all, and he very lovingly tells us in John 15:13 that he did it because he considers us to be his friends. This is astoundingly beautiful when you consider how poorly he was treated by most, and that he had to suffer alone. Yet, he thought we were worth dying for.
We cannot be the kind of friend to Jesus that he is to us, but we sure ought to do our very best to try. In John 21, Jesus taught the disciples how to walk in his example. He directed a question to Peter, who was called Simon, and whose father’s name was John. In John 21:17(NLT), Jesus asked Peter the same question three times. It tells us, “A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” Our Lord and Master made it very clear that the way to honor the friendship he has with us is to take care of others.
This is at the very heart of friendship. It is the opportunity and privilege to be able to invest love, care, and support in another person’s life. The more we know the person, the better able we are to be a blessing to their needs. In getting to know people better, sometimes we find that they are more sensitive than what we’re accustomed, and their feelings may get hurt over things we might say or do. This is why we need to pray and ask God to help us to be good friends, because the last thing we should want to do is to offend someone. We want them to be blessed, and we should also want to help them grow in Godliness. So, we need God’s help to preserve and maintain our friendships, and this will help us to grow in our walk in Christ.
God wants all of us to have healthy and loving relationships. He wants us to be the true examples of what the love of Christ looks like. If you don’t have a true friend, and you desire to have one, pray and ask God to send you a friend that will stick closer than a brother or sister. We all need individuals for whom we can be a blessing and who will also be a blessing to us. Heavenly Father will help you cultivate a new friendship if you ask and trust Him. If you’ve lost touch with a good friend and don’t know how to reconnect, ask God to help you with this as well. Sweet friendships are a gift from Him, and it’s His good pleasure to help us nurture them.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Sweet Friendships Refresh the Soul”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.