What makes a Good Friend?

A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers mailed in, the top five were:



5. One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable.



4. One who understands our silence.



3. A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.



2. A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.



1. The one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.



Wow... Those are challenging aren't they? Because I believe that if you are to HAVE good friends, you have to BE a good friend...



Good Friends are a gift, but you are called to be a gift to others in return! I think the best example of Good Friends I can find in scripture comes in 1 Samuel 20: 1-42.



This scripture shows us David and Jonathan, whose friendship overcame personal feelings of ambition, jealousy, self-righteousness and so on. Jonathan, as Saul's son, was the expected heir to the throne - but Samuel anointed David instead...



Had Jonathan been angry, jealous, disappointed or upset, I think we would understand. Instead, his reaction was one of acceptance, support and encouragement, even in the face of his father's anger.



Are you a good friend? Look around you at your own friends - at the people in your life! Be a supporter to them - walk in on them when the rest of the world walks out!



As a God-Follower, it is your calling...