Some Do, Some Don't.
Text: 1 Corinthians 10:24 "Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others also."
George Eliot wrote, "Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
Listen to that paragraph again now. Meditate upon it.
How many friends do you have who would fit into that category in your life? Do you think you have at least one? Do you think you could count them on one hand? I’m not talking about acquaintances. I’m talking about real, true, "life-and-death" friends. Remember, if you have only one, you are blessed. If you have more than one, you are rich indeed! Can you name them? As you think about it, does their name and face come to your mind?
Do you know how you get to be that kind of a friend or have that kind of friend? Be a person of integrity! Earn trust! Be a person who absolutely keeps a confidence! Be a person without guile! Remember one of our Lord’s disciples named Nathanael (John1:47)? Jesus said, "Here comes an honest man. There is nothing false in him." Psalm 32:2 (KJV) "Blessed is the man...in whose spirit there is no guile."
Don’t play the edges! Play it straight! Don’t ever see how close you can get to the edge of the cliff without falling off! Stay away from the edge of the cliff!
Proverbs 17:17 (NCV) – "A friend loves you all the time, and a brother helps in time of trouble."
Now - how’s your count coming? If you have been blessed by having one or more of this type of a friend, please let me encourage you to do several things:
1. Thank the Lord for a friend(s) like this that He has given you!
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you develop that kind of friendship with someone.
3. Call, e-mail, text, or write (even though it seems to be old-fashioned) that person(s) and thank them for being that kind of friend to you. Go ahead! Do it now while it is fresh on your mind and you’re feeling it in your spirit. You’ll be glad you did!
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