“Make a Friend, Find a Friend!” Proverbs 18: 24 Key verse(s): 24: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
I am reminded of the story of the great patriot John Randolph of Virginia. Known for his intelligence and generosity, Randolph died a lonely and bitter man. He lacked for nothing in this life. He really had it all. His estate was extravagant consisting of hundreds of acres of rich and fertile farm land. His stable of horses was not to be equalled in Virginia. He was generous and prosperous. His slaves were well-treated and freed upon his death. He was famous having both signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In many ways he was as well known in Virginia as Jefferson and Washington. Yet, when death approached him he died alone attended only by a physician. Randolph died a very lonely man. Despite all of his accomplishments over the course of his long life, the one thing he had failed to do was to make good friends. There was something about his uncompromising, bitter and cantankerous nature that turned people off. In debate he was harsh and caustic. In dealings he was abrupt, even rude. The story is told that one day, later in life when he had retired to his plantation, he mounted his horse and prepared to ride somewhere, anywhere. He sat motionless on the horse for half and hour trying to make us his mind as to where to go and whom to see. Finally he dismounted, telling a servant that he “couldn’t think of anyone who would greet him any way.” With all he possessed the one think he really longed for most, one good friend, had never been a part of his storied life. The
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