Friendship Having Friends, Making Friends, Being A Friend (3)
Wednesday May 11, 2016
God has given us spiritual friends who will walk with us in our journey in recovery. These friends will show us how to draw closer to God in order that we might know the things God has prepared in advance for us to do.
Jonathan and David became close friends ... Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him just as he loved himself. (1 Samuel 18:1,3 NIRV)
Jonathan and David are an example from the Bible of just such a friendship. They met through David's courageous action in fighting the giant Goliath and became dear friends. Jonathan was the son of King Saul who hated David and was trying to kill him. God had chosen David to succeed Saul as king and was guiding and protecting him in the midst of Saul’s persecution.
Naturally speaking, Jonathan should have inherited the throne from Saul. One would expect that Jonathan would have been bitter and resentful at being disinherited by David however, Jonathan honoured the plan of God for David's life. David escaped King Saul's devious attacks with Jonathan’s help. Later on when Jonathan was dead and David became king, instead of killing all the family of the previous king as most did, David welcomed Jonathan's crippled son into his palace and treated him with honour.
God has a plan for each individual life. As we honour God’s plan, we can live well in relationship with others, regardless of the circumstances we might encounter. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:14-18 NLT)
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