Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
We are wrapping up a remodel of our church sanctuary. Although we hired contractors for the more specialized tasks most of the work was done by the people in our congregation. We could not have done it without them donating their time, finances, talent and prayer. It is a testimony of God’s goodness and the gift of friendship.
One of the most wonderful verses in the Bible is John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends.” It is amazing that you and I are the friends whom Jesus died for.
David Harwood wrote in his book, God’s True Love, “Nobody has greater love than our God. His love is as powerful as He is. His love is as deeply felt, as He is all knowing. The greatness of God’s love compels Him to go the distance for those who are His friends.”
Through the actions and words of God we see the high value He places on friendship. Yet we live in a world where “friend” may mean someone who can look at your pictures and updates about your daily life on Facebook. Having a presence on Facebook and Twitter can be a wonderful and fascinating way to connect with people, but it is not always having true friends.
Paul the Apostle was one of the most spiritual men in the Bible, but he had a great need for friends. This is brought out beautifully in 2 Corinthians 7:6, “Nevertheless God who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus”. Paul recognized the hand of God not just in spiritual encounters, but also during the everyday course of life. In this case, it was a dear friend who God used to bring much needed comfort to Paul.
Friends are the people that share the story of our lives and they also help us write our story. True friendship is a gift from God and should be treated as such. Here are a couple of thoughts on being good stewards of the gift of friendship.
1. Be Picky. Plato said, “People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.” So pick your friends with care for they create the environment in which you will either thrive or wilt (Proverbs 9:7 & 1 Corinthians 15:33). Give opportunity for friendship, but just remember there are clear connections between the quality of life we live, and the type of friends we choose (Proverbs 13:20).
2. Be a friend. “A man that has friends must show himself friendly” (Proverbs 18:24). This is not just being friendly to people, it means we have to work on building and maintaining friendships because they are not just going to happen. True friendship is not one sided. Many people have a hard time finding true friendship because they are only looking for what someone can do for them, and nobody likes being used by another person. A true friendship involves giving and receiving.
Many Blessings, BW