Daily Thought for Thursday, February 10th

February 10, 2011

Friends

Today’s Thought:

“A faithful friend is the medicine of life.” – Unknown

Today’s Question

What characters or qualities are you looking for in a friend; and similarly what do you offer as a friend?

Today’s Spiritual Thought:

Henry Adams wrote, “One friend in a lifetime is much: two are many: three are hardly possible.”

Friendship seems to have many levels and varying degrees in today’s social structure.  We have work friends, casual friends, and school friends, as well as church friends, but very few life-long friends.     People come and go in our lives even in our family lives it seems.  Life-long relationships and friendships seem to be few and far between these days.

And this is sad.  But the important thing is to have friends and to be a friend, regardless of the time frame or duration of which that friendship might last.

While friends may only be in our lives for a season we need to remember that if our friendships are based in a mutual commonality of our relationship with the Lord, those friends we make, while they may be absent for a season – we will share in a reunion when we are reunited for eternity.

Friends are friends forever

When the Lord is Lord of them

The important key to friendship is to remember we need to be there, be available and willing to listen, share and care regardless of the circumstance or situation.

Scripture says this with regards to how we should conduct ourselves as friends, regardless of the classification, duration or intent of the friendship.

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

John 15:12-14

I have heard it said just recently that friendships are treasures and if you find a friend that is a diamond; don’t forget the gold that is needed to hold that diamond up.    You can be that gold.

Our ultimate goal should be to be a friend of God’s and I believe if we succeed in that friendship we will be able to succeed in many other friendships as well.

Today’s Verses:

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.  Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

Proverbs 6:1-4

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

        Proverbs 18:24

Today’s Prayer:

Father, help me to remember that when I am a friend to the friendless, the hurting, the needy and even those who may not need me; when I am a friend to any soul and I show them love, I am being a friend to you at the same time.