November 9, 2014 · Proverbs 18:24

Closer Than a Brother

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

“But every friendship is like that, right? There's a unique thing that happens in the friendship. Because God's in the middle of it. And that unique experience of love that God gives us, as human beings, for each other — is this beautiful thing that God has put his fingerprint on. So I want you to also think about the circle of joy as this amazing part of spiritual friendship. And every friendship as a triad. And realize that your friendships are spiritual formation. You are being formed into the image of Christ in friendships. There will be a few people in your life where you're going to form a spiritual friendship that's so strong that it's going to be like a family member. … You know — the type of person where your kids are going to call them auntie or uncle — even though they're not related. This gift of God — this friendship — this is spiritual realities. And we must protect them, and we must cultivate them. And God gives us wise principles that we've been learning — to remember and consider as we get closer to people. He tells us to avoid getting too friendly with people who lie, and gossip, and use people.”