Friends

Good Morning,

Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)
A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 27:9 (NIV)
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV)
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

How many "friends" do you have? Now, I don't mean acquaintances, we all have a lot of them, I mean real and true friends? It seems that in past times human beings were blessed with a lot more real friends than what we see today. Years ago we seemed to have had friends at every turn and in almost every place we went. It was easy to make friends, I think, when times were simpler and we weren't so focused on ourselves.

Friends...having them and being one...is a subject we all need to think about, I believe. Maybe it will be difficult for some of us because, well, we don't seem to have many...(any?)...friends in our lives. If that's the case, I guess we have to give some thought as to why that is. Some of us will find that we have only a very few people that we know that we would consider a friend, in it's most meaningful way. Then, there will be people who are greatly blessed and have many, many folks they consider friends and they are in contact with them on a regular basis.

So, why the differences among us in this matter? I thought about that this morning. I thought about it and prayed for an answer. Mostly what I heard was that old saying, "In order to have a friend, one must first BE a friend." I know, that seems pretty simple and elementary, doesn't it? But you know what it also it? It's the truth. Yes, if I want to have real friends in my life, I have to make the effort to be a friend to people.

Wow! I was about to go into the "why's" of having or not having friends as it relates to the changes in the world! Oh, my! I'm afraid I'd lose most of us, myself included, in going into all of that. Suffice to say, society has affected friends and friendships, and not in a good way. The reasons are too many to even think about.

Do I want you for a friend? Yes. Now, if that's the truth, then I have to be a friend to you. How do I do that? I guess, first I have to be truthful with you. I hope you know that I try to be exactly that in what I say and write. Next, I have to be available to you when you need me for something. I have to make that effort to simply say "Yes" when you ask me if I have a few minutes to talk. Then, I have to help you in any way that I can when you need me. I can't start to think of reasons (read excuses here) that I can't give you some assistance in some way when you want me to help you somehow. That's simply being unselfish and perhaps putting my own desires second to yours. Something else that I need to do in order to be a friend to you and have you be a friend to me is to listen to you. That means, I have to be open to what you have to say as it concerns me and my life and maybe something I do or don't do that you see is necessary. Proverbs 27:9 says it clearly, "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, AND THE PLEASANTNESS OF ONE'S FRIENDS SPRINGS FROM HIS EARNEST COUNSEL." If I don't feel toward you in such a way that I will listen to your "earnest counsel" that you want to give to help me, then I'm afraid we aren't friends.

Today's message springs from one word in a message I received that had nothing to do with this subject, really. However, God works in His ways and sends to us what He wants done at a time when He feels it's needed. I would venture to say that today's message about friends and friendship is one of those times.

I'll end this with a statement of fact. I don't have enough friends. Simple as that. I covet those that I can call a friend. That is the truth. I would love to have more friends. So, I'll ask you this: What can I do that would help us to be closer and to be real and true friends? Please feel free to answer this and be honest.

Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for being a friend.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David