Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. ~Psalm 119:63
Ben Franklin said, “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.” Aristotle the philosopher said, “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” The term bosom buddies refers to a very close friendship between two or more people. It refers to a friendship bond that exists because of mutual commonalities including beliefs, preferences, and goals. The psalmist spoke of the kind of friendships that we should be careful to have in our life.
Friendships consist of people who spend time with each other. Friends are people whom we bear our heart and soul to. These are people who stand by each other in good and bad times. We enjoy meals and recreation time with them. We are comfortable with them. They are people who make us laugh and who encourage us. Friendships can make us better, or they can make us worse. Friendships have a way of defining who we become. Thus, these relationships must be carefully considered since they have a huge influence on us.
The psalmist had a very narrow and restricted definition of who his friends would be. He determined that his closest friends would be people who had a genuine and transparent love for God and were obedient to God’s commands. This definition excluded those who were scornful and spiteful of God and His Word. His friendships revolved around people who loved being in God’s house. His friendships were with people who served the Lord with great passion and desired to glorify God in everything.
The kind of friendships that are most rewarding are those going in the right direction with God and that see the hand of God upon them. The psalmist knew that by narrowing his friendships, he would be able to impact more people for the Lord. He knew that the friendships that he had would result in answers to prayer. He looked forward to spending time with his friends in the Scriptures and in prayer. Their highlight would be coming together for the worship of God. He knew that all of them would draw closer to God because of the nature of their friendship.
Are the friends that you have drawing you closer to the Lord? Are they encouraging you to have an on-fire spirit for God’s glory? Take a moment to evaluate if your definition of friendship is like that of our devotion this morning.
Bible Reading Schedule: Genesis 43-45
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