Gift of Friendship — Friends are a Gift from God

By Lois Van Zee

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:

Proverbs 18:24a

To have friends, we must show ourselves friendly. Here are just a few things that I thought about when I thought about what a friend truly is.  

1. A friend is one who loveth at all times. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” 
   

2. A friend is one who will rejoice with you. In the gospel of Luke, Luke shares with us how Mary went with haste to see Elisabeth. That is how it is when we enjoy the companionship of other women — we can’t wait to share our good news and praises with them. These two women were first aligned with God and then with one another. These two women of faith truly left us an example of what Christian friendship should be about today.  
   

3. A friend is one who must have compassion. The greatest example of this in the Bible is Jesus. In John 11:35, we find Jesus weeping over Lazarus’ death when it says, “Jesus wept.”  A friend is one who will pray for you. James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” 
   

4. A friend is one who is honest when she knows you need to be rebuked. Ouch! We don’t like that one, do we? But we all need friends who want the best for us even when it hurts. It says in Proverbs 27:5, “Open rebuke is better than secret love.”  
   

5. A friend is one who overlooks small things and does not get angry. Proverbs 19:11 says, “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” Be willing and ready to forgive a friend. Don’t let things get in the way of a good friendship. Keep the ones you have. It has been said that you have many acquaintances but very few friends in life.  
   

6. A friend is one who is trustworthy and faithful. We could say one who does not break confidence or one who won’t talk or gossip behind your back. Proverbs 11:13 says, “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” Let your friends know that you can be trusted. Then prove it to them by being a trustworthy and faithful friend. 
   

I would like to leave you with this thought. It is good to be friends with one another, but it is even better to be God’s friend. We find in James 2:23 where it says that Abraham was the friend of God. Abraham was the friend of God because he chose to believe in God and His Word, and we too can be a friend of God, if we choose to trust, obey, and believe Him and His Word.