In this month where we are encouraged by many advertisers to express our love to friends and family, I can’t help but think of all those whom God has placed in my life as friends. In the course of our 48 years of marriage, we have moved many times. Each time God has given me friends that are lifelong friends. Friends that are like family. We may not speak for months, or even years, but when we do, we pick up where we left off as if time had stood still. These are people that are good friends.
A good friend always loves. That does not mean they approve of all you do because real love is not based on what you do. It is based on the love that comes from God and flows through you. Jesus gave us that example in John 31:1. He knew His time with His followers was coming to an end on this earth. He would no longer be in their presence as He had been the past three years. He had loved them as His own, calling them to follow Him, teaching them patiently, and working with them through their errors, lack of faith, and weaknesses. He loved them until the end.
John 13:1 “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”
A good friend does not abandon a friend based on the circumstances. A friend may make bad choices and as a result, you cannot participate in the same activities, and time spent with this friend may be limited due to their choices. However, you still love them enough to continue to pray for them and reach out in love to help them do what is right. Jesus, our example, says He will never leave us or forsake us. He sees us through the good and bad times of life.
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
A good friend has compassion. Jesus again shows us this trait in friendship in John 11:35-36 when he stood at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. Jesus did not cry because Lazarus was dead. He knew He would raise Him from the dead. He cried because He felt the pain of Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. He knew they didn’t understand that He would raise Him from the dead. He had compassion for them because they were hurting. He knew they believed that if He had been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus wept because He loved Lazarus and His sisters, and he was hurting because they were hurting.
John 11:35-36 “Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold, how he loved him!”
A good friend loves you like family, and sometimes better than family. We should value and treasure this friend. He has proven his love and devotion by loving you stronger and purer than ties by blood.
Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
A good friend serves you to show their love. Jesus gave us this example by washing the feet of His disciples. The act of washing the feet was needed in Jesus’ time period. They walked on dusty trails or roads to get to their destination. When you would enter someone’s home, they would offer to wash your feet, have their servants wash your feet, or provide you with water and a basin to wash your own feet. Jesus did this for them to show His great love for them. He voluntarily showed humility by lowering Himself to wash their feet, a symbol of being a servant. It was also a symbol of spiritual washing that he talks with Peter about in John 13:6-11. He also did it to set an example for them to do after He left them. He instructs them in John 13: 12-17 that they are to do this with one another. I have personally done this many times, and I have experienced the joy and love, of kneeling down to wash a sister’s feet, and have felt very humbled by someone showing this act of love to me.
John 13:4-5 “He rises from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”
A good friend does not care about your status in life. Rich or poor, intellectual, or not so smart, black, white, brown, or yellow skin, has no barrier either. Jesus showed us this in Matthew 9:10. He was a friend to those from all walks of life and all nationalities. None of these factors should determine our friendship with another.
Matthew 9:10 “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.”
A good friend will want what is best for you, and what is best for you and me is to be like Jesus. A good friend will always love you. This does not mean they love everything you do, but they love you. They will not abandon you in times of need. They will have compassion on you, and they will love you like family. It will not matter who your parents are or where you came from. They love you enough to serve you and their desire is for you to be the very best you can be in Christ.
Do you have such a friend? If so, you are very blessed. Cherish that friend and thank God for them. Now my question to you is are you that kind of friend? Are you a good friend? If not, start today to be a good godly friend!
Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
