True and Lasting Friendship

"A friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24)

Friends and friendship are an invaluable and a rare commodity. What does it mean to have a friend that sticks closer than a brother?

Brothers will often help out in a pinch. They are ones you can call on when the going gets tough, but respect of their time and space is necessary for maintaining good relations. A friend, on the other hand, can be approached whenever and in whatever circumstances of life without respect to their personal needs. They expect to hear of your joys as well as of your disappointments. They desire to join in the laughter and to experience the tears. They truly love at all times (Prov. 17:17).

Brothers are great at getting behind you and pushing you, yet a friend is one-of-a-kind in that they come alongside you. A true friend never drags you into anything that would harm you or push you into something that they would never do. They seek your best and desire to participate with you in achieving your goals, even to the extent of sacrificing their own ambitions, likes, or goals. Your pursuits become their own. Their closeness is truly worthwhile (Prov. 27:17).

Brothers are good for casually listening and superficially advising, but a friend wants to know all and for you to bear your soul and share all your otherwise kept secrets. A good and godly friend will be fully trusted to keep your confidence (Prov. 17:9). Furthermore, the advice of a friend comes from someone who knows all about you and still loves you. The friend will not hold back what you need to hear because they truly care (Prov. 27:6,9).

For all those who have come to accept Christ, He has become the closest of friends and that forever! In John 15:13 Jesus says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for his friends”. His demonstration of friendship surpasses all.