Wanted: a good friend
by PASTOR JON HUIZENGA
River Rock Church
Recently I heard a mom say that the nicest thing a friend had done for her was to have brought a meal over when she really needed it. Not having that one detail hanging over her head meant a lot.
A friend like that is fantastic—and unusual. You need a good friend. Someone needs you to be his or her good friend. What would that friendship look like?
Here is a summary of the Bible book called “Proverbs” on the subject:
• Constant—“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” Proverbs 17:17.
• Candor—“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses,” Proverbs 27:6.
• Counsel—“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” Proverbs 27:17.
• Considerate—“Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—too much of you, and he will hate you,” Proverbs 25:17.
I smile at that last one. Good friends even know when it is time to go.
Spiritually speaking, Jesus tells us that the very thing that will show him to the world is our treating each other like that. (His actual words: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” John 13:35.)
So, my encouragement to you is: When you’ve enjoyed your reading of the Squire, get off your chair and go be a good friend!
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