True Friends

Years ago, a friend and I stopped to get some gas at a station. The clerk was a little rude to my friend as he walked out, and once we were outside, he started complaining. At some point, I stopped him and asked him if he was a Christian, to which he responded, "Yes!" So I said, “Act like one.” I didn’t mean anything rude by it, and I really didn’t even think much about that conversation. However, throughout the years, he’s reminded me how much that was what he needed to hear.

I’ve thought about how many times I’ve had to be on the receiving end of that conversation—sometimes it’s me telling me to “act like a Christian!” It reminds me of Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Good friends are hard to come by.
Good friends see your situation and care enough to do something about it (James 5:19-20; Galatians 6:1). Whether it’s help with moving boxes to mending a relationship—they’re there. A good friend is willing to make a commitment to you, even before you are sometimes. Thank God for friends who intervene and help you find a path that improves your life.

For that reason, good friends can be hard to come by. In an age when people are hypersensitive and easily offended, it seems almost taboo to correct anyone or highlight any area of their life they should improve on even if it's true!

In Scriptures, we read of many people who intervened for others to help protect against their own destructive lifestyle. Moses did it for the Israelites; nearly all the prophets did it for them as well, Jesus did it for all mankind, and many letters were written to people to remind them of how they were to conduct themselves.

Consider the role Ananias played in Saul becoming a faithful follower of God (Acts 9). Saul had served God before his trip to Damascus (Acts 23:1), but with the help of unexpected friends, he now served God the right way. It took Ananias obeying the words of God, just like it took Saul listening to the counsel of a stranger sent from God.

God’s Word is in fact like a faithful friend. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Take time to consider the role your friends have had in your life as well as recognizing how you can be an influence for good in the lives of your friends. Then, thank God for them! Perhaps like Ananias, you’ll find out there are friendships waiting to be made by simply doing or saying what God would have you do for them.