Friendship

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 ESV

There is a distinct difference between a companion and a friend. Who would you trust with your life? What about your family? Would you trust the welfare of your children with a companion or a true friend?

We tend to pick up many friendships along life’s way, but not many true friends. I reckon you could count on one hand the number of trusted friends you have. Don’t get me wrong, it is good to have friendships as they make life go smoother, but much better to enjoy the company of those few real, true, trusted friends who make life glide more smoothly!

If you have such friends, hold them close to your heart. You will always have that person’s best interests, and they, yours. When our verse suggests that your friend sticks closer than a brother, you have the closest of bonds, and that bond will not, and cannot be broken. Take note of the first part of our verse where it says you can have many different companions, but they are not trustworthy, and will bring you to ruin because they will work against each other, supposedly on your behalf and allegedly in your interest. Nothing is closer to the truth. 

Think about those ‘distant friends’ you have and the number of times their good intentions have landed you in trouble. You know the old saying that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”, and never let yourself be deceived by that friend, like Judas who kisses your cheek while selling you, body and soul, down the river! Learn the lesson before you get badly hurt.

Life teaches us many lessons, but this is one of the toughest to learn, and is usually painful, so take care as you recognise and choose your friends.

The Journey - Lost

You are having a great trek through some of God’s greatest handiwork, whether mountain, valley or meadow and your walking companion just won’t shut up. That sounds unkind, but you must know what I mean. The two of you have peeled off from the rest of the group, and while you want to drink in the beauty of creation, your companion wants to talk and talk and talk! To make matters worse, when you do try to get into the conversation, it becomes very noticeable that your thoughts are not seen as important. In fact as you talk, your friend is already deciding what they will say next.

Have you ever wondered why some friends lose their way in their own Spiritual journey through life? I have noticed that we have a habit of asking God to step into a situation, and before He can guide us with His answer, we are already mouthing the next request having decided we know how to fix the first problem on our own. We don’t like it when that happens to us, so I wonder how God feels when we do it to Him?

Have you noticed that bad listening companions have few real friends?

To answer before listening— that is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13