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Friends
August 13, 2011

Throughout life we make friends. Depending upon your circumstances, these friendships can last a lifetime and for others these last only a short time. Growing up as an army brat, childhood friendships typically lasted two or three years, and many times less. Frequent moves made me the new kid in class. I Kindergarten, I attended three different schools on two different continents. For high school, it was the same. In between, I can remember seven different schools. Friendships are important in childhood, adolescence, and as adults, and the Bible has specific advice to share on this topic.

Proverbs 18:24
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

In order to have friends, one must be willing to be a friend. A person cannot be mean towards others and expect to have friends. It is only when two people are nice to each other that a friendship can exist. Why the two people may be nice with each other can vary from friendship to friendship. Sometimes this is born out of necessity when both need the friendship, and sometimes the friendship is born out of convenience. Whatever the reason may be that gave rise to the friendship, the friendship came about because both were nice to each other.

Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Friends may not always get along, but friends do not actively seek to destroy the friendship. Friends seeks to develop and expand the friendship. Sometimes a friend may do something that hurts, and even when this is the case, the friend was doing this in an effort to be a friend. Friends interact with each other because they are friends, not because they are enemies. Contrasted to this, are people who pretend to be a friend. Sometimes, these pretenders are enemies who do not desire for the person with whom they are pretending to be a friend. While their actions may appear friendly and kind, their intent is selfish and seeking their own gain over that of their friend.

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

There are many more verses that show how friends should interact, and Proverbs 27 is a good place to start.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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