Selwyn, today, tells us his favourite definition of friendship: “A friend is someone who knows all there is to know about you and loves you just the same.‘
In regard to Selwyn’s conclusion. I would like to rearrange his words and change the order to read, something like this: The more effectively we relate on a vertical level with Jesus (God, with skin on), the more effectively we will relate on a horizontal level with our human friends. It’s our love for God which enables us to love our ‘neighbours’; and then, for some of our ‘neighbours’ to become our close friends.
Our ability to love our friends, together with a genuine spirit of forgiveness and understanding; depends entirely on the extent we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. True, strong friendships do occur between people who don’t have God in their lives – but these friendships, end with death. However, those whose friendships are based on Christ, their friendships survive for eternity! What do you think?
The verses set for reading and meditation. follow (Proverbs 27:17-27, NLT):
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.
Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.”
‘A friend with skin on’
Selwyn, today, tells us his favourite definition of friendship: “A friend is someone who knows all there is to know about you and loves you just the same.‘
In regard to Selwyn’s conclusion. I would like to rearrange his words and change the order to read, something like this: The more effectively we relate on a vertical level with Jesus (God, with skin on), the more effectively we will relate on a horizontal level with our human friends. It’s our love for God which enables us to love our ‘neighbours’; and then, for some of our ‘neighbours’ to become our close friends.
Our ability to love our friends, together with a genuine spirit of forgiveness and understanding; depends entirely on the extent we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. True, strong friendships do occur between people who don’t have God in their lives – but these friendships, end with death. However, those whose friendships are based on Christ, their friendships survive for eternity! What do you think?
The verses set for reading and meditation. follow (Proverbs 27:17-27, NLT):
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.
As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.
Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.”