A TRUE FRIEND

Proverbs 17:17 NIV A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Attached to one of my gifts this past week was a lovely tag which said, “A true Friend encourages you to be your best and loves you just the way you are.” We all want friends like that, but we also need to be that friend to others too!😊

As I thought about it I remembered that we all have a True Friend in Jesus. He encourages us always to be the best we can be, but He loves us just the way we are. Then He goes further, and loves us so much He doesn't leave us the way we are, but helps us to become the way His Father wants us to be, more like Jesus Himself, day by day, with the Holy Spirit’s help.

On the night Jesus was betrayed by His disciples He said this … John 15:13-15 NIV Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

As we walk through our week, we have this assurance that Jesus is our True Friend, even if we, or others, have let each other down. Jesus is steadfast and faithful and has promised to never abandon us or leave us alone. 

He has given us His own Holy Spirit to comfort us when we need it, to help us when we ask for it, to strengthen us because He never designed us to do life on our own. 

He’s the Friend we can always call on, who is never too busy to be there for us, night and day.

So let’s be very encouraged as we remember we have a true friend in Jesus, the best friend there is, and be His friend too by doing what He tells us to do - to love one another. 😊 In Jesus name. Amen.