As I walked by this tree I noticed there were three trees intertwined. I thought of the Bible verse about a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. I thought of all of the support the three trees give each other. From there I thought about friendships and how they support each other. Last time I went out of town I had a friend go by and pick my mom up to take her to a concert. That made me feel so good. This trip I had a friend who volunteered to go and visit my uncle who is in the hospital knowing that he would not have any visits with us gone. She had never met my uncle before but wanted to do that to help Mom and I. She said she would call Mom and let him talk to her. Again, this would make us feel a lot better. My friend also asked about my uncles past so she would have a lot to talk to him about. This meant so much to Mom and I!
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Often times this verse is used for marriage with God being the third but I think it can also be true for Christian companionship. Two Christians bound together in Christ are stronger than the individuals themselves.
That verse is the essence of Christian friendship. The friendship extends beyond common interests, beyond the fun, beyond the laughter, beyond the love. Most importantly, they want to help each other grown into a deeper relationship with God. They refresh each other with God's love and share God's wisdom with each other.
In Ecclesiastes 4 King Solomon writes about the blessings of true friendship. He points out three interesting benefits of developing relationships instead of being a loner. First, when you fall a friend can lift you up. Second, when it is cold a loved one close by can help keep you warm. Third, when another person puts you in danger a true friend will help protect and defend you.
The Bible also tells us what kind of friends to have. Proverbs 18: 24, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 13: 20, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Christian friendships want to help others grow in their relationship with Christ. True friends reflect God's love.
We need good friends to pick us up when we are down. Developing good friendships is important to our well being. True friendship is a gift and should be treated that way. Thank God for the true friends that you have in your life. If you do not have many friends, the Bible offers advice on the type of friends you should have and what kind of person you need to be to get good friends. He can help you find true friends.
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