Word To The Wise: Be a Faithful Friend

Facebook has blurred our understanding of a friend.  According to Facebook, friendship with someone is obtained by a mere click of a blue “confirm” button.  We can have hundreds or thousands of “friends” with little or no commitment to a real relationship!  The number of Facebook friends that we have has become a social competition to display our superior likability.  According to Facebook I currently have 1,059 “friends”.  Don’t get me wrong, I have actually met and personally know all of the individuals I am Facebook friends with, but only a small few do I share a close personal connection with.  In our fast paced and superficial culture, we have lost the meaning, significance, and hard work that are required to experience true friendship.  Proverbs provides us with a reminder of the weight of true friendship.

READ:  Proverbs 17:17, 18:24

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Be a Faithful FRIEND!  Friendship is more than a superficial association with someone.  Friendship is more than feeling comfortable saying, “hey” as we pass someone in the hallway.  Friendship is more than sharing similar interests/hobbies, personality, or sense of humor with someone.  According to Proverbs, a true friend is someone who, “loves at all times”, and “sticks closer than a brother”.  The word “love” (אָהַב = ahab) means to have a, “deep genuine feeling of care or concern” for someone.  The phrase “sticks closer” means to, “remain in close relation by being faithful and loyal”.  Therefore, friendship is an inseparable companionship between individuals who share a deep affection for one another.  What are some ways Proverbs suggests we can be a faithful friend? 

A faithful friend is GENEROUS (Prov. 19:6) – Giving a gift is a voluntary act of kindness where we give something that we possess to someone else.  Giving a gift to someone communicates that they are valuable or important to us!  There are lots of ways we can be generous in our friendships.  We can be generous with our TIME by offering the free hours of our day to be with someone.  We can be generous with our TALENTS by offering our unique skill or ability to help accomplish a task or project with someone.  We can be generous with our TREASURE by giving our money or possessions to someone who is in need.  Generosity should not be used as means of manipulation, but as a way to display our genuine care and concern for others (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13).  Remember, friendship is more about what we give in relationship than what we get in return!

A faithful friend offers HONEST CRITICISM (Proverbs 27:6) – Most of us would not consider someone a friend if they were constantly reminding us of our imperfections.  But it would be cruel if a friend only flattered us with praise and never warned us about doing things that were embarrassing or self-destructive.  Nobody likes criticism, but we should all have someone in our lives who is not afraid to evaluate our attitudes, actions, and words with honesty and kindness.  An “enemy” may appear to be friendly by their abundant praise and “kisses” (Mt. 26:49), while a “faithful friend” may appear to be an enemy by the verbal “wounds” they inflict (Mt 23:11-28).  There are times when honest criticism is a more genuine expression of friendship than flattering words.

A faithful friend provides wise ADVICE (Proverbs 27:9) – Have you ever been near someone with body odor?  It is not an enjoyable experience.  Most of us would prefer to be around someone who uses deodorant or perfume and smells good.  A friend who provides “earnest counsel” is as sweet as a beautiful fragrance emanating from “oil and perfume”.  No one possesses all wisdom and so we need counsel and advice from friends to make godly decisions.  In other words, don’t make decisions independent of others, the decision, and therefore you, will stink!

CONCLUSION:

In John 15:12-13 Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”.  There is no greater display of friendship than laying our lives down for the sake of a friend . . . which is exactly what Jesus did for his disciples and for us . . . making Him the only one worthy of being considered our best friend!