A
friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Prov. 17:17 NIV
Friendship is a gift from God. It is a gift of pure joy
that can be found in a relationship that is filled with adventures and
happiness. It also gives comfort and assurance to those who are troubled. That
is why, one must find a good friend that loves and cares not only during the
glorious days but also during the tough times. A true friend “loves at all
times”, he or she will never leave you even in times of difficulties and
sorrows. He or she is the friend who stick around no matter what happen. A true
friend is like “a brother” or sister. He or she is like a family that is always
there and will accept, forgive and understand. God wants us to have real and
faithful friend. He wants us to cherish this gift of relationship that is why
we must be careful to choose our friends. Find the ones that are true and will
be like a brother or a family. Find the one who believes in God and will tell
you to do right and will not lead you to do wrong. Find someone who is a friend
that loves at all times.
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Friendship: Beware of Gossip
A
perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
Prov. 16:28
Chatting
and talking with our friends makes our day better. We talk to our friends all
the time. It doesn’t matter what, when and how. Sometimes, we call and chat with
them over the phone for hours or sometimes meet up just to talk and spend time
with them. This build the relationship with our friends.
However, not all talks
and chats are beneficial. Some can be harmful, hurtful and devastating. Especially,
when we start to talk about other people’s negative characters and features.
Though many would enjoy criticizing another person negatively behind their back,
this is not good and beneficial to our relationship with them. This not only
impacts the subject but also ourselves and the friends we gossip with. Gossip
can ruin our integrity as a friend and ruin our relationships. It is sad to
know that twenty to thirty more years of good friendship can be broken and ruin
because of gossip. This is true and most people experience it. Most would end
up having more enemies than friends. That is why we must avoid gossiping and especially
the gossipers. Do not be friends with those who does not care and are not
sensitive to the feeling of others. We may enjoy gossiping at one point of
time, but in the end, all it does is hurt and destroy someone. We must talk to
uplift not to destroy. We must express blessings and not curse. We must build friendship
and not ruin it. We must love our friends with all our hearts. We must be
careful with our words. We must not gossip.
If
you have been gossiping, it is not too late. God wants you to make good
friends. Therefore, confess this sin to God and ask him to better your
relationship with others. Let God bind the friendship that you have started and
make it a wonderful and meaningful one. Have a blessed and wonderful day with
your friend. God Bless!
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Friendship: Friendship with the World
“You
adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity
against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes
an enemy of God.” James 4:4
Friendship
is one of the best relationship we can ever find. However, not every friendship
will benefit us well. Some friendship can affect us negatively. A good example
of that is being friends with the world. This means loving and embracing the
worldly and sinful things that it offers. Being friends with the world is “enmity
against God”, for God does not tolerate sin. God is blameless, holy and righteous.
He is without flaws. That is why God does not want us to indulge ourselves with
sin.
God wants us to be righteous like he is. He wants us to see ourselves as
his reflection. Therefore, we must follow God and avoid the sins of this world.
The devil is always waiting for an opportunity for us to sin. He will make sin
pleasant and good to deceive us so we may fall on his temptation. But as believers
and followers of Christ, we must look away and never entertain the friendship
that this world is offering. For in the end, the sinful world will perish and
only those who are friends with God will be saved. But thanks be to God, that as
long as we live, we have hope in him. We can always repent and turn away from
our sins so we can be friends with him and be saved. Amen.
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