A True Friend Loves At All Times Part-1 Series

A True Friend loves at all Times Part-1

Open your Bibles to Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (NIV)

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. (NLT)

Did you know that the deepest need of the human heart is for real relationship and love?

Did you know that Deep and meaningful relationships and friendship make life most beautiful of all?

Deep within the human heart is a primal desire for love and friendship that echoes the passion of its Creator. These aspirations, that we tend to think are unique to the human spirit, mirror the heart-passion of God, our Creator, who actively seeks friendship with his creation. This is reflected in His relationship with Adam as they walked and talked together in the garden "in the cool of the day." The effects called fear, guilt and loneliness was first felt when that friendship was broken because of Adam's sin, and there, for the first time, the voice of God was heard throughout the garden, "Adam where are you?" Why are you fearful and alone? Ever since then, God has sought to bring man back into that cool of the day fellowship with Him.

How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world? Friendship involves recognition or familiarity with another's personality. The “friend” part seems fairly straight forward, that as believers, our friendships are to be based upon commitment, not circumstance. We are committed to our friends and remain committed in both good times and bad. Being a “brother” is a level much deeper than being a “friend”. You see, it’s in the times of great adversity that we need the greatest amount of support from our natural and spiritual families. What is adversity anyway? It is hardship, difficulty, danger; unfavorable experiences and yes even great suffering. So if your brother or sister is facing such adversity in life, know this: you were born into this world, for this moment in time, for the purpose of being there and supporting your brother. This is the calling of everyone that calls themself a Christian, or as we see in the Bible, is called to be a saint of God. Is someone in your life facing a serious trial or situation? You were born for this moment, to lift them up and help as no one else can. Among the various titles by which Christians were called in the New Testament surely the most wonderful is that given by the Lord Jesus - "Ye are my friends":

Friends often share likes and dislikes, interests, pursuits, and passion. How can we recognize True friendship? As we know generally True friendships consist of a mutual desire for companionship and perhaps a common bond of some kind. Beyond that, genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. True friendship involves action: doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return; sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism. The greatest characteristic of friendship is loyalty.

There are countless experiences that make life beautiful. But the most vital friendship we can ever cherish eternally is the friendship with God Almighty. Friendship is the richest and most beautiful experience. We were created in the image of God to have friendship and fellowship with God. Bible says God is Love - and so love is what we recognize beauty in more than anything else. But for anybody who has been deprived of love from infancy, the capacity to love and be loved may be severely impaired. Deep and meaningful relationships in which there is a two-way flow of unconditional love are what make life most beautiful of all. People need reciprocal love more than anything else in order to experience and appreciate beauty. One of the most beautiful things in life is being able to connect with God and walking with Him and share from the richness and depth of our mutual friendship.

Remember that God’s love is the ultimate. Knowing the love God has for you mean that you do not have to seek fulfillment in how anyone else makes you feel, the most perfect love comes from God, and it is always yours. He will do much more to fill the love-space than a person ever could. Make your intimacy with God knowing that God likes you and loves you; remember He sent His son, Jesus, to die for your sins. Make sure you are strong in your loving relationship with God. This means knowing that He is always there to help you along the way. Make God the most important person in your life. Make Him the love of your life then God will make something beautiful of your life, but he needs your trust in him to do it. Are you ready?