Title: Good Friend, True Friend
good friend true friend
Text: John 15: 13-15
'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. If you do what I command you are my friends. From now on I will no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. “All that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you.”
Jeong Pangyo, a calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty, asked his master. “What is a friend? What kind of person is a friend?” The master replied that there are four kinds of friends.
“The first is a friend like a flower. When a flower blooms beautifully, he holds it in his arms and likes it, but when the flower withers, he throws it away without mercy. The second is a friend like a scale. He is a double character who bows his head quickly when he encounters a heavy object or important person, but raises his head stiffly when he encounters a light object or person. The third is a friend like a mountain. He is a person who is willing to climb even a high place, given his powers when he is in a relationship. He seems to have planted a small seedling, but one day he is a wonderful person who can make a large shade tree. The fourth is a friend like the earth. He is a person who knows how to bear the burden and persevere without hesitation, even when it is difficult at times. If you sow a single seed, you will grow it with a 100-fold fruit. A friend who is simple but does not hold grudges in his heart.”
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens his friend’s face” (Proverbs 27:17).
Throughout our lives, we meet, socialize, and develop deep relationships. We call them friends. Some people make good friends and make their lives richer. But some people make the wrong friends and ruin their whole lives.
So Paul wrote a letter to the members of the Colossian church. It was to give the Christian the counsel he needed, especially when making friends or associating with others. “Walk wisely toward strangers, saving time; let your words always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:5-6).
Association with a wise friend makes you wiser, and associates with an evil friend make you evil. Also, if you associate with a friend who serves God, you will be able to serve God better. Therefore, we should increase our faith and wisdom by fellowshipping with friends of faith, wise friends, and good friends, and become righteous and sincere people.
I sometimes think about what a good friend can be recognized as, but I think it can be known through awareness of the time we spend together. It wouldn't be if our time together felt boring, has it already been like this? If the time they spend together goes by quickly enough, he will be friendly. Because with good friends, you live outside of time and space. What kind of friends are we saying we are good friends? A friend who helps me when I'm having a hard time, or a friend with whom I can confide is a good friend? Perhaps it is not a relationship where the mind and the mind are on the same horizon. A newborn baby and a gray-haired grandfather can be good friends because the horizons of their hearts coincide. No matter how far apart we are, true friendships never cease to grow.
A true friend is not just a close friend you have known for a long time. They must be like-minded people, that is, comrades. A true friendship is not just an old friendship, but a comrade who can see the same direction and walk together. There are many long-time friends, but not many comrades with the same purpose. To agree with one another is to share the same direction. A person who dreams together and creates a dream together while going in the same direction and in the same direction is a true friend and lifelong comrade.
“Walk with the wise and you will gain wisdom, but associate with fools and you will get hurt” (Proverbs 13:20).
A dove befriended a crow. After a while, the dove started to cry with a very plausible "snake". People who did not see the pigeon but heard the sound of its cry were so much that everyone thought it was a crow. Diligently learning everything about the crow, the pigeon soon learned to steal like a crow. Since I had a crow, a master of stealing, as my teacher, it was not at all strange that a disciple no less than him appeared. Pigeons began to steal thousands of grains of wheat. Not only the grain of wheat, but all the grains in the field became his food. But they stole so much that the farmers finally decided to catch the thief. The pigeon, unaware of the craftsmanship of the farmers, ended up helplessly entangled in the net. The farmer who caught the pigeon said he would cook the pigeon deliciously and put it on the table. The dove lamented his plight and begged for forgiveness. And he cried and said that it was the naughty crow who taught him to steal grain. Then the farmer said:
"There's no point in making excuses like that! If you had been hanging out with other pigeons or staying at home quietly, you wouldn't be a thief and you wouldn't be my prey. But you learned the bad habits of crows while walking with them. So tonight I will roast you. I will make up for the lost grains of wheat with your meat.”
A sensible person who hangs out with bad people is doomed to a miserable fate.
Who should we not be friends with?
1. They are foolish and foolish. (Proverbs 13:20)
2. He has many words and opens his lips. (Proverbs 20:19)
3. A person who easily gives out wrath and anger. (Proverbs 22:24, Proverbs 14:17)
4. Those who enjoy alcohol, gluttony, and pleasure (Proverbs 23:20, Proverbs 23:29-31)
5. A person who hates those in authority without cause and is open to political criticism. That is, they are traitors. (Proverbs 24:21, Romans 13: 1-2)
6. A person who practices fornication and sexual immorality. (1 Corinthians 5:9, Ephesians 5:3)
7. Those who do not believe and are idolaters. (2 Corinthians 6:14, 15, Colossians 4:5)
8. A person who is addicted to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, etc.
So what kind of friends should we make?
1. Those who strive to draw near to God, that is, those who rejoice in worship and strive to pray.
2. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and who are born again, that is, those who walk with the Lord
3. A person who strives to give relief and serve for the underprivileged
4. A person who doesn't speak harshly and always praises and gives thanks
5. A person who is always close to the Word and meditates on the Word
6. God-fearing, wise, and honest person
7. A person who strives to share the gospel with neighbors, comforts the weak, gives courage, and gives hope.
‘BEST FRIEND’, which means the best friend, has this meaning.
B -Believe Faith: Someone who always believes in you.
E -Enjoy Joy: Someone you can share your joy with.
S -Smile Smile: A person who smiles naturally when they are together.
T -Thank Gratitude: A person who appreciates even the smallest things.
F -Feel Feeling: A person who can feel emotions just by looking at them.
R -Respect Respect: someone who is not polite but respectful
I -Idea Thought: A person who remembers you even when you are away,
E -Excuse acknowledgment: A person who clearly admits a mistake.
N -Need Need: Someone who is there when you need it.
D -Develop Development: Someone who helps me develop.
A close friend is also a strong supporter in life. Do you have a friend who satisfies all requirements? If not, there is nothing to worry about. Because the Lord is my truest and best friend. Think of the Lord closer than a friend.
Make good friends for the rest of your life. Just giving me a little bit of comfort right now doesn't make me a good friend. May our lives be rich because of their presence throughout your lives, and I wish their lives to be enriched because I am their friend.
* Prayer: Faithful Heavenly Father, thank you for calling us by name and for making us friends. Now let me call Jesus my friend, and let me be your man who walks with you. Help us to meet Jesus, who is a good friend, every day, and let our community grow and develop day by day. In the name of your true friend, Jesus, we pray. Amen.