Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Jeremy Taylor
Speak the Truth
It doesn’t help our friends if we are just flattering them with empty words. Wouldn’t you tell your friend that they had a piece of food in their teeth if they didn’t know it? That’s what friends do. Friends love us enough to speak the truth, or as the Proverb says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Prov 27:6). If you’re my friend, tell me what I need to know instead of what I want to hear. You’d do me a favor.
Be There for Them
Solomon wisely wrote that “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov 17:17), so when your brother or sister is in a time of adversity, be there for them, and loving them at all times, means loving them in the good times and hard times, in the glad times and in the sad times, weeping with them when they weep, and rejoicing with them when they rejoice (Rom 12:15).
Pray for Them
Don’t you take comfort when someone tells you they’re praying for you; especially if it’s your friend? Friends speak the truth and are there for them in the good times and bad, but friends also ought to pray for one another. If you’re praying for a friend, let them know about. Most people take pleasure in knowing their friend is praying for them, but don’t forget to be praying for them too.
Conclusion
If you have a friend, you wouldn’t let them hurt themselves, would you? Of course not, so speak the truth to your friend, even if it hurts, and be there for them when they fall or when they are celebrating, and be there for them in prayer. The older I get, the more I appreciate my friends.
