Friday, August 20, 2010

A True Friend

A True Friend...

1. Prays for you.
Plenty of people throw around the phrase, "I'm praying for you," but isn't it thrilling to know someone who actually will pray for you when she says she will?  Keep a list of prayer requests in your Bible or somewhere else you won't lose it.  Every time you commit to praying for a friend, write it down on that list so you won't forget.  Next time you see that person, ask her how the situation is doing, so she'll know you really have prayed for her.

2.  Is concerned with your spiritual condition.  Proverbs 13:20 says, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."  A girl who's constantly trying to get you into trouble is not someone you should be close to!  In addition to praying for your buddies, encourage them to make right choices and cultivate a deep relationship with the Lord.  If you see one of your girlfriends falling spiritually, be caring enough to help her back up.  

3.  Sympathizes with you.  Sometimes all we need is someone to put their arm around us and share a few tears.  Maybe you can't relate to every situation your friends tell you about, because you don't really know how they feel -- but you can at least try.  Imagine yourself in her shoes, and rejoice, mourn, laugh, and cry with her.   I heard a story about a little girl who sat alone crying, when her friend came and sat with her for a while.  When the second girl's mother asked her what she did to help her friend, she replied, "Nothing, I just helped her cry."

We all have our ideas of what we look for in a friend, but these three qualities stick out to me as the most important.  In fact, Jesus prays for us, is extremely concerned for our spiritual welfare, and sympathized with his disciples and believers on numerous occasions as recorded in the gospels.  Proverbs 18:24 reads, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."  If you want a friend, be a friend!  You can be an encouragement to many people just by implementing simple habits like praying for them, strengthening them spiritually, and showing sympathy.

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