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The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. A wise person wins friends. A friend loves at all times; a friend is always loyal. A real friend sticks closer than a brother. Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable? Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
From the perspective of Jesus, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. He saw friendship too in meeting the heart’s desires of a friend, and in disclosing the confidences of one’s own heart. Paul told his Corinthian friends, "We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. There is no lack of love on our part. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you." Peter encouraged other believers with his words, "This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory."
Pondering the depth of love presented in 1 Corinthians 13, friendship reflects too the love that God has given us. Although He gives in unmatched perfection, friendships are deepened by even a somewhat flawed imitation. A friend gives understanding more quickly than impatience, and acceptance more quickly than judgment. Kindness is expressed by the multitude of little acts that reveal a loving heart. Friends are secure enough in who they are that they can be themselves and purposefully indulge in their own gifts and talents for God’s glory and the enlarging of His kingdom without any need to flaunt those gifts or talents. At the same time, they find themselves encouraging the singular uniqueness of their friend without any sense of comparison or jealousy. They are capable of being truthful without harshness or insensitivity. A friend is just as eager to follow the plan of another as to go with her own first thoughts, being open to diversity in thinking, and recognizing that while the two may be very similar, they are not duplicates of each other. Within a friendship, no one is holding on to the imperfections that mark any human relationship. Rather, minor irritations are overlooked with an acknowledgment that the human tendency to fail at times in the expectations that are placed on us, is common to both who embrace friendship. That same friendship though is grieved when God is grieved by inner or outward attitudes or actions, and delights when a friend finds God’s way for herself and chooses to give herself to it. The love that binds a friendship always believes and hopes for her friend, confident in the potential that is hers, and never wavers in the darkness of circumstances.
Friends love because they are so convinced of God’s incredible love for them personally that loving another becomes a very natural overflow. Never abandon a friend. They are partakers of grace with us, holding a special place in our hearts, a place that gives to them with much love, longing, and tender compassion.
(In order, the above is taken from 1 Samuel 18:1,3; Proverbs 11:30; 17:17; 18:24; 20:6; 27:6,9; 27:17; John 15:13-15; 2 Corinthians 6:11,12; 12:19; 2 Peter 3:1; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 1 John 4:11; Proverbs 27:10; Philippians 1:7,8)
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