There Is A Friend That Sticketh Closer Than A Brother

One of the strongest passages in the Bible about friendship reads “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24). Let’s break up that verse into two parts …

First, a friend “must shew himself friendly”:

· We must treat people in a friendly way

· We should make an effort to be a friend, to do what friends do for their friends

· We must warn our friends about their soul if need be Acts 10:26-27,31

· We look for things to do for them Gal 6:10

· We look for ways to give them an opportunity to grow spiritually II Tim 2:2

· We thank them for what they are and what they do for us Phil 4:14-16

· We pray for them, and we inform them we are doing so II Tim 1:3, Rom 1:9

Second, a friend “sticketh closer than a brother”:

· When we leave the Lord, we are betraying our true Christian friends also II Tim 4:10

· A true friend will take up for someone who is being treated unjustly (II Tim 4:16 “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me”). That will take courage (I Cor 16:13); it is always easier just to remain quiet (Eccl 3:7).  For example, when a friend is doing his job of warning fellow Christians (Acts 20:26-27,31), we must stand up for them even though the majority of Christians may dislike us because of it (John 12:42-43).

· If I am a true friend, I won’t let small things my friend does (that are not matters of wrong and wrong) bother us and get in the way of our friendship Rom 14:10, I Cor 8:13

· We don’t unfriend them just because they (sincerely) disagree with us on something Gal 4:16, Prov 27:6

· We don’t defriend them just so we can remain “in” with a clique (even of Christians) Prov 27:10, Exod 23:2a

I appreciate having a strong and true friend; don’t you?: Prov 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend

Patrick Donahue

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