Wallace Louie

Proverbs 18:24

Proverbs 18.24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Welcome to the Bridgeway Christian Church Daily Advent Devotional for Monday, December 16th. My name is Wallace Louie, and I serve as a community group co-leader at Bridgeway.

Today, I'm going to talk about joy and friendships. What is a friend? Is it a friendly associate you work with or went to school with? Is it someone with shared interests, like hobbies, sports, or other activities? Or is it a deeper relationship with someone who will be loyal to you no matter what? Is it someone who cares about you and has your best interests in mind? Is it a companion with whom you can share your innermost thoughts and concerns? In literature and in movies, we have several examples of friendships. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam's friendship heroically worked together to fulfill their mission to defeat the Dark Lord.

In Harry Potter, Harry, Hermione, and Ralph are loyal to each other against bullies and another Dark Lord. Despite having opposite personalities, Sherlock Holmes and Watson work together to solve murder mysteries. Even with different backgrounds, Maverick and Goose in Top Gun are best buddies in the Navy's elite fighter weapons school.

And the four sisters in Little Women are characterized by loyalty, support, and sacrifice for each other despite jealousy and competition. In the Bible, we also have several examples of great friendships. David and Jonathan had such a strong bond that Jonathan sacrificed his life to protect David from his father's attempt to kill him.

In their preaching ministry, Paul and Timothy had a deep friendship beyond a mere mentor and mentee relationship. With Ruth and Naomi, it was because of her selfless nature that Ruth got to marry the farm owner and live a comfortable and happy life. I think of a few key factors that are important to consider in having a friendship.

Friends are a blessing and a joy. Life would be quite lonely without them. Collegial relationships, which we loosely call friendships, are good and necessary for a civil and pleasant society.

However, these associations are not built on a deeper mutual devotion. Not all friendships are meant to be lifelong, although if they end up being that, they can be rich blessings. A friendship can be for a season.

Sometimes it can be a great relationship for a time, but often people move on from a school, an organization, a church, or a neighborhood. We can lose touch with them. Sadly, a friend may also pass away, and we miss them dearly.

And then there are broken friendships that happen when there's betrayal like what Judas did to Jesus, and how Absalom betrayed his father King David by plotting to overthrow him. Sometimes a misunderstanding or disagreement or unintended hurt can lead to an estranged relationship and years of bitterness. But we must forgive as Jesus taught us.

He did that with Peter and the rest of the disciples. Even King David forgave Absalom. Even if and when reconciliation is not possible, forgiveness is the way of the Christian.

May we be reminded that we too are forgiven by our Lord. We also need to hold our friendships loosely by understanding the distinct seasons of our friends' lives and their particular circumstances. It is good not to expect too much from them.

It may only lead to disappointment. They have their own journeys. Building friendships takes mutual effort and risk, even if it started organically or by chance.

Often it means making ourselves available when they have a need, whether it's through physical support or being a person who listens and prays with them. Many people need to experience the love of Jesus through fellow believers. Some others who don't know the Lord at all often find him through the loving support of Christians.

Now going back to the verse that started this discussion, a man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Jesus says in Hebrews 13.5, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Having friends makes life wonderful, but we can sometimes let some people down and friends in turn can also let us down.

We can always depend, however, on our Lord. Even as we are often faithless, he is forever faithful. Not only is Jesus our Savior, he is our best friend.

He even called us his friends. How marvelous is that? So then let's make building friendships a priority. We can do that by finding ways to be helpful through active listening, tangible support, appreciation, caring, positive communication, and finally forgiveness.

Then we will see that our genuine friendships will bring joy for us and our friends throughout our lives.