An unnoticed and unvalued legacy of the treasure of a true friend

One of the ancient problems of all men kind was to problem of loneliness. From the beginning of the creation of man God saw that it is not good for man to be alone. That is why He made Eve from the rib of Adam to bring him a helper.

The entire creation beside’s Eve were not to satisfy Adam for the problem of loneliness. Loneliness is a great problem even today for all, and all suffering from this problem are seeking companionship and that is the reason many of us are either seeking a friend, and eventually a mate to spend the rest of our earthly lives with.

This brings us to the subject of our word today. What is the solution of this widespread need even in the lives of the redeemed.

Many of us look for not only a friend, but a person of trust and confidence. For this we are sometimes seeking all our lives, and to our shame sometimes even in the wrong places.

Not searching the truth of God’s choice we form our own opinion about what a true friend is all about and by this we fall into our own pit.

Since companionship is a very legitimate human need from Eden none of us can deny it’s nock on the doors of our hearts. We all want to be close with someone and be in fellowship with a tangible person. Why do I say tangible because to all of us at times a God of Spirit seems too far from being a genuine touchable reality unfortunately.

We are all pursuing that perfect relationship and yet many times find ourselves with nothing but a broken and a shattered dream. Our human disposition is seeking friends who would fill the so called gaps in our lives, yet soon we realize the futility of all such wonderings.

Many of us can not stand the idea of a lonesome life and are horrified of the thoughts of it in our flesh.

Those of us who have needs want to see them met by another human being and most of the time we are searching for a companion who would understand and love us.

Yet many of us are hurt from such companions from an early age and now are only seeking to either build a wall around us, so that no one would hurt us again, or would only allow those to come close who would not violate our trust, by only speaking to us what we want to hear.

You see we have this wrong frame of mind from the past that if they love me they have to tell me what I would like to hear and this becomes a great snare for us.

Yes ofcource when we are hurt we do not like to hear words that would wound us more, that is why we soon surround us with people who would only tickle our ears or tell us what can only make us feel better about ourselves. After all does not secular psychiatry do the same thing?

Yet is this what the Bible tell us about a good and faithful friend?

You know the scripture is said to be a lamp and light in a dark place doesn’t it?

Yet often we are avoiding it’s light when the dark things of our lives are exposed. In our humanness we hate to see our sin in the light of the word of God. You see if the unredeemed hate the word it is tolerated as being their nature, but what about the redeemed?

We too hate to be exposed for our wrong and that is why in our genuine Godly need of a friend we collect people around us who either do not believe in the word or simply do not love us enough to tell us the way it is about us. Therefore after a while we too find ourselves surrounded by hypocrites as friends. Remember the incident where Jesus’s disciples informed Him of His natural siblings asking for Him, what he responded? He said it is those who obey the word of the Lord who are my mothers, brothers and sisters. Why? Because it was the true obedience of the commandments of God that makes us wise and true friends.

Men like King David of Israel who had many friends and subjects was reprimanded by Nathan the prophet when God sent him to the king and in this he was awakened from a very deep slumber through a genuine friend.

You see all throughout the scripture the true men of God were stoned or cut in half or were put to death, why because of their testimony about the truth. A genuine friend is one who would dare to tell us the truth in love and any other who wouldn’t is not a true friend.

I know me too just like you do not like the truth to be said to us when we are trapped in our self-love and the indulgences of our flesh in these last hour, yet let us face it the truth that can set us free is better than the kisses of many hypocrites so called friends. Remember Ahab and Jehoshaphat and the prophet of the Lord who would not compromise?

How many of us are like those who are left in wilderness of this life trying to find out where are our the so called friends. Just like handling a puzzle we are asking God. God what happened to so and so who were supposedly ready to give their lives for me? Where did the so called friends go?

I believe it is then and only then that God could speak to us and say.

Were they your friends really? Are you sure? Or they were the selfish choices of your ignorance.

You see Hell is full of those who’s so called friends did not care to tell them about their true condition, while they were dining with them on earth. They were reclining on their comfortable couches while eating their food , yet did not love them to speak the truth in their hearing.

The Bible in Proverbs 18:24 says…

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is friend who sticks closer..

Than a brother. Amen? You see the Bible teaches us that true friends not only are loyal and faithful, but are true in speaking the truth to us in love. Yes I know we all like when people are speaking well of us and make us feel good about ourselves and comfort and encourage us, and that has it’s place in all our relationships especially as Christians, but never without being honest with us about our mistakes and sin.

A true friend makes himself known by sticking closer than a brother to speak to us the truth. As Paul rebuked Peter publicly and prophets spoke to Kings privately we too need to love our friend to an extent that we would not become their enemy while reclining with them on the Lord’s table.

Did you know being in Christ we are all eating and drinking from the same table?

The Bible says in the last day many will not give heed to the sound doctrine, why?, because their ears are going to be shut.

The word became flesh and tabernacled with us, why? To embrace us from the fallacy of the darkness of the friendship of this fallen world.

James the half brother of the Lord says “don’t you know friendship with the world is an enmity with God?’’

You see the word of God is very clear since the world generally and normally will not tell us our faults with love. Why is it that the parents or the true relatives some dare to speak the truth to their next of kin because they truly care, but not the outside world.

In John chapter 8th verses 31 and 32 the scripture says it best and I quote “ If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the *truth and the truth shall make you free”

I am convinced that it is the love of the truth that can give us tolerance and strength to hear the hard core truth about ourselves.

You see the Bible says if you abide in My word. Many of us can not abide since the word really is exposing the truth about our sin and many of us have no tolerance to see ourselves in the mirror of the word.

We walk on the waters of this life and soon loose focus. The world and it’s best is destined for destruction and eternal damnation and it’s ways are though persuading, yet are very enticing, just like an adulterous woman in the proverbs.

Asaph in Book Three of Psalms in psalm 78 was complaining to God about the wicked and their prosperity and the troubles of the righteous in this word and in verse 18 all of a sudden Asaph was awakened by God to realize the slippery path the unrighteous is being placed in by God by them not seeing their sin and it’s dangerous end.

You know it is an amazing work of grace for us to be helped by God in Christ to be awakened from our enmity of sin.

And in closing I want to speak in our hearing the most profound words spoken by Job in Job chapter 13th verses 23 & 24.

Job having been a rare man in the scripture to be called just by the scripture in his contemplating words with the Lord says it this way and I will quote the two verses in the rear.

“ God why are you considering me an enemy by hiding your face from me in not telling me about all my sin and iniquities ?”

Can you see the mystery behind this huge revelation of God’s word for us ?

Yes Job is saying to God when you hide your face from me in not exposing my sin to me then you had become my enemy.

That is why when through God’s grace the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us in our hearts the enmity is removed between us and God with such a revelation of the hidden treasure of darkness. Amen?

Therefore let us not become weary of well doing and in allowing God to reveal to us all of our sin, so His friendship and love would never fail us.

Let us choose the friends who would dare to speak to us God’s truth not their own.

Let us choose His truth over all the lies of this final dark age, since as Apostle Paul says in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 those who did not have the Love of the truth
Unfortunately today many proclaim that they are the proclamers of the truth, but I am wondering how many are willing to hear the truth about themselves?

May God grant us hearing ears to escape this last error and embrace the real truth not about others, but about ourselves first. .