A FRIEND INDEED!! part 1

Proverbs 18:24 NKJV.

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

A friend who will help someone when help is needed is a true friend. A friend in need is a friend in deed. This adage has actually become a cliche without people knowing the import of the word A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED!!

I went to an evening service on Friday 28th of April 2023 some where in central district Abuja on a visit, at the cause of the preaching by the servant of God, he said \”LEARN TO KEEP GOOD RELATIONSHIP, FOR RELATIONSHIPS ARE CURRENCY\”. Of course we know what currency means to us in the business of buying and selling and what it means in the now generation without it nothing meaningful can be achieved if you must move forward in life. So is a good friend.

Three groups of Friendships in the Bible that teaches us what true friendship will likely help us to achieve.
(1) David and Jonathan went into Deep abiding friendship, The Book of Samuel tells us about the vital relationship between David and King Saul’s son, Jonathan. David had just defeated Goliath and was brought before the king and the Scripture recorded that:

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. (1 Samuel 18:1-4)

(2) Elijah and Elisha\’s Friendship that grows deep as they partner together. Elijah had been a prophet for a while, and the pressure was getting to him. He was hiding in the mountains from King Ahab who wanted him dead. But God calls the prophet back into the game and tells him to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet (1 Kings 19:16).

From that point onward, Elisha becomes Elijah’s shadow. He followed the elder prophet and learned everything he could from him. Even when Elijah’s time was coming to an end and it was time for Elisha to focus on life without his mentor, he still refused to leave the prophet’s side.

The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on (2 Kings 2:2-6).

(3) 3. Ruth and Naomi\’s Friendships was born out of tragedy
Naomi was Ruth’s mother-in-law, which is a relationship that can be fraught with tension. Some women have a very rewarding rapport with their mothers-in-law, but incredibly close friendships are a little harder to come by. This friendship begins with Naomi’s traumatic experience

Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” (Ruth 1:3-9).

“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her (Ruth 1:14-18)..

PRINCIPLES OF FRIENDSHIP

Some friendships take a while to build, but others seem to leap into existence fully formed. There’s no greater feeling than when you meet someone and you just seem to hit it off right from the jump.

Good friends not only recognize the strengths and abilities in one another, but they’re not afraid to promote one another above themselves.

One cannot overemphasize the value of developing close relationships with wise counselors who have a lifetime of personal experience to offer.

We should constantly be on the lookout for people God would bring into our path who can help us develop and mature-even when the relationship isn’t built on common ages or interests background

More often than not, friendships are born out of shared interests and complementary personalities. But sometimes, deep friendships are forged out of shared heartache or tragedy. This is the story of Ruth and Naomi’s friendship.

When you\’re in relationships and there\’s no mutual understanding and respect borne out of lack of trust, feeling of instability and inequality amongst Friends comes to ruin.

PRAYER

May God Almighty watch over our unfriendly friends and deliver us from their bad motives in Jesus name Amen

REFLECTION

The older we get, the less time we have to invest in a significant number of relationships. And even though the friendship pool isn’t as wide as it once was, it can get a lot deeper. But remember, your friendships have more power than you may realize, so you must choose them wisely. Unhealthy friendships can end up creating more chaos than peace.

BIBLE READING Proverbs :- 18.

Thanks for Your Understanding, Thanks for Reading And Remain Blessed SHALOM!. Blessing Onugha ❤️