To Tell the Truth… Day 65 – True Friendship Part 1 – 6/16/20

“A friend loves at all times . . .”
Proverbs 17:17a

A True friend is of infinite value. One of the basic needs and longings of our hearts is to have a real friend in our lives. People have sought through the years to define true friendship. Someone wrote, “A friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you just the same.” Someone else said, “A friend is someone who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself.” I particularly like this one, “A friend is one who strengthens you with their prayers, blesses you with their love, and encourages you with their hope.” All of these are wonderful thoughts but what does God’s Word say about friendship? I want to explore the answer to that question the next several days.

We have a lot of people who come in and out of our lives. Most are casual acquaintances. they touch our lives briefly, we enjoy them, we learn from them, but then they are gone. We all have experienced fair-weather friends in our lives. They climb on board but when a storm comes up they abandon ship. But then there are, praise the Lord, true friends. And the bible reveals that one of the characteristics of a true friend is that: A True Friend is Selfless.

“A true friend loves at all times . . .” Certain people will claim to be your friend, but there are conditions attached to their friendship. They love you when, if, because, or until . . .!  As long as you can meet the conditions, they are your friend. These conditions meet a need in their life. Their friendship with you is all about them. When you no longer meet those conditions they fade out of your life. A real friend, according to God’s Word is selfless not self-serving. It is one who loves not because, when, if or until. It is one who loves you unconditionally. One who loves you the way the Lord loves you. In other words a true friend is a rare find. The other side of the coin is this: Are you a true friend to those in your life that you claim to be their friend?

Preacher Stan