FRIENDS

(Jake 1996-2008-the best friend I ever had.)

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”    Proverbs 17.17

A friend of mine once said to me, “Tom, you are truly blessed if you have five friends that you can truly count on.”  I have come to see that he was right-and that’s a tragic fact.  With all the people you know and come into contact with, it looks like you could make more than a handful of friends.    Friends, they are hard to make, hard to keep, and hard to beat!  It seems that in our modern, fast-paced, claw-your-way-to-the top world we have forgotten what friendship is all about.  Honestly when I began thinking about friendship, I had to look up the definition.  Here it is,

Friend-(1) one attached to another by respect or affection (2) AQUAINTANCE (3) one who is not hostile (4) one who supports or favors something (a friend of art).  (Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language). 

            I’m convinced that we all need to have more than a handful of friends that we are “attached to by respect or affection” (hopefully both).  We all need a bountiful supply of human beings who support us, and favor us and who are certainly not hostile towards us.  Solomon was right in his assessment that a friend loves at all times and a true friend’s real character is shown by their loyalty during hard times.  And the reverse is true.  If you are a true friend to someone you will love them all the time and be there for them when the chips are down. 

            You make friends by being friendly.  By truly caring about others and taking the time to get to know them deeper than the casual conversation will take you.  Becoming a friend takes time, you have to live a little life together to really become friends-it’s just not an automatic thing.

            You can make friends at church, at the office, at school, at the gym and any other place that you come into regular contact with people.  Once you make a friend it is important that you maintain that friendship-again time is the issue.  You must be willing to invest the time to keep in touch, to listen, to be there when you are needed. Your friend also needs to exercise these actions on your behalf also.  You cannot be “friends” with someone who does not return your affection and respect-they are only using you if they don’t and you would be better off adding them to your “acquaintance list” and removing them from your “friends list”. 

            The One Person Who promises to be a friend to all and is full of affection and love for you is Jesus Christ.  He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15.13.  He indeed laid down His life for you.  He followed His definition of loving friendship with this statement, “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”  15.14 .  His command is that you repent of your sin and be saved.  Then you can have the greatest Friend ever.  Will you take the time to make His acquaintance?  Those of you who are His friends-will you take the time to maintain the friendship?  It’s taken me a long time but I finally have realized that Jesus is my best and most trusted friend.  I won’t hog Him for myself-you are welcome to be His friend also.