Proverbs 18:24 - Types of Friends.
Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) A man of many
companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 (NLT) There are friends
who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks
closer than a brother.
COMMENTARY PEARL
The Friend Who Stays
Sometimes, frankly, friends will
disappoint you. Sometimes even family will disappoint
you. But the Bible says, There is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24
NKJV). That friend is Jesus.
Friends come and go, but Jesus comes and
stays. And its only Jesus who is going to save
you. It not Jesus and church tradition or Jesus
and moral living. Nor is it Jesus and the law
and the prophets. Thats why we no longer need
animal sacrifices. We dont need a high priest to
step in and represent us to God anymore because
Jesus is our high priest. Jesus is the Lamb of
God.
Because of the death and resurrection of
Jesus, we have open access to God the Father 24/7.
We can approach Him through Christ. If you have
asked Jesus into your life, Hes not going to
leave you. Hes not going to forsake you. You
have His Word on that.
Only Jesus can heal a broken heart. Only
Jesus can give us the strength to go on when
its getting hard. As David wrote, Yea, though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me
(Psalm 23:4 NKJV).
Thats how we get through the valleys
of life. Thats how we get through the storms
of life. And thats how we get through the
hardships of life. We realize that were not alone.
God is walking with us through it.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
discovered this as well when they walked through their
fiery furnace. There was a fourth person with them
whom King Nebuchadnezzar said looked like the Son
of God (see Daniel 3:25). I believe it was
Jesus who walked with them.
When youre on your deathbed, its
only Jesus who will save you. And its only
Jesus whom you will stand before. When its all
said and done, its only Jesus. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Knowing The Heart Of God
Most people long to be understood. We may
have many acquaintances, but we all have a deep
need to feel truly known by those we love most.
This is because we were created in God's image -
He also desires to be intimately understood and
loved by us.
Just as you don't want to be known for
only the superficial details of who you appear to
be, it's not enough to know about the Lord. He
wants us to learn how He thinks and feels, what's
important to Him, and what His purposes are. Of
course, it's impossible for man to completely know
the mind of the Creator of the universe. In
Isaiah 55:9, He tells us, "As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than
your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
The depth and breadth of His mind is so great we
will never be able to fully grasp it in this
lifetime.
However, we can better understand God's
heart and character by seeking Him and learning
day by day from His Word. If we genuinely desire
to walk in His ways, we must first genuinely
know Him. We come to know our friends better by
sharing more experiences together. Similarly, we
will also understand God better the longer we
walk with Him and meditate on what He has
revealed about Himself in the Bible.
God wants you to seek Him with all your
heart, and He promises that when you do, you will
find Him (Jer. 29:13). So, the next time you're
feeling a need to be better understood, turn to the
One who understands you perfectly. Even more
importantly, ask Him to help you know Him better. [In
Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at
www.intouch.org] re 1Co. 13:11-13
True Friendship
The crab spider is an unusual arachnid.
It doesn't rely on a web to catch prey.
Instead, it hides in a flower and waits for a
honeybee, beetle, or butterfly to come by searching
for nectar. Then it pounces, grabbing the insect
with its forelegs and biting it. A powerful venom
does the rest.
But insects don't make up all of its
diet. The males of some species of crab spiders
also sip on nectar and eat pollen. Think about
that. Both the crab spider and the honeybee drink
the same nectar. The honeybee makes honey. The
crab spider makes poison.
The same is true of people. We all
breathe air and drink water. We have some of the
same experiences, but what we do with them, or
what we "produce," can be dramatically
different.
Some people are eager to gain wisdom.
They apply what they learn to their everyday
lives, including their relationships. When they see
others going through difficult times, they offer
practical help. They pray, send notes of support,
visit, and share the struggle. They are careful
with their words, speaking truth and
encouragement. Like the bee, these people produce honey.
And then there are others who think they
already know everything they need to know. They
don't bother seeking God's wisdom. They are
consumed with their own desires, and they don't
really care what happens to anyone else. Sometimes
they initiate conversation and seem friendly, but
they're really gleaning tidbits of gossip to spread
around and things to criticize - all in all causing
immeasurable harm. These "crab spiders" produce poison.
You find honeybees and crab spiders in
school, in the office, in church.
My mother gave me sound advice about
making friends: Take time to observe the behavior
of others before building friendships.
Sometimes the people who greet you first are not the
ones who will make the most trustworthy friends.
Be polite, but watch carefully how people treat
one another before establishing a friendship.
Avoid the so-called friends who destroy each
other, as Proverbs 18:24 says, and seek a true
friend who will stick closer than a brother.
Avoid the crab spiders. Seek out the
honeybees.
Lord God, please guard my heart and my
tongue and help me to bring good things to others
with my words and actions. Give me wisdom, too,
as I try to find friends who will build me up
and bring me closer to You. Thank You for the
gift of friendship. [Earth Psalms by Francine
Rivers]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Good relationships dont happen by
accident. They take cultivation, work, and a lot of
time. That requires commitment!
I cannot count the number of times that
my wife Kay and I have felt like walking out of
our marriage, particularly in the early years.
There were so many times we thought, This is
not worth it. Were so different. This
marriage will never work.
But we didnt walk out. Why? Because
wed made a commitment. We took a vow - Till
death do us part - not just to each other but
also to God. So we said, Were going to keep
this commitment even if it kills us. And it
nearly did! There have been times in our marriage
that the only thing keeping us together was that
commitment - not love or interest but simply the
commitment we made to God. I am so glad that we did not
give up. Today, my wife is my best friend, and I
cannot imagine my life without her.
The Bible says in Proverbs 18:24, A
man of many companions may come to ruin, but
there is a friend who sticks closer than a
brother (ESV).
Did you know that your socializing can
keep you from having deep relationships? You can
be so busy networking, contacting, and making
acquaintances that you never invest the time and energy
and effort it takes to cultivate the deep,
satisfying intimacy of a good friend or a good spouse.
Its not wrong to have a lot of
acquaintances, but they can keep you so busy that you
dont develop any vital, close relationships. You
dont need a lot of friends to make it in this
world, but you do need a few good ones. Focus on
quality, not quantity. Your acquaintances - your
hundreds of Facebook friends and Instagram
followers - arent necessarily going to be there
when you need them. But the friends you are truly
connected and committed to will be there.
Every important, close connection begins
with a commitment. If you want to get beyond
shallow, superficial relationships, youve got to
be willing to stick with it. [Daily Devotional
by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ONE LINER
"The true friend seeks to give, not to take;
to help, not to be helped; to minister, not to
be ministered unto" William Rader
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Proverbs 17:17 - What Is A Friend?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190731-1131.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
