“Value of Friendship”

Recently I was part of putting together an event for the Ladies Ministry at my church with the theme being "Pampered for a Purpose". I had the privilege of sharing the Word on the topic and it has been stirring in me ever since. A portion of the theme touched on how it is important to pamper ourselves emotionally and what that looked like in relation to our friendships.

It is my strong belief that we all need good relationships! Good relationships in our lives nurture, encourage, support, etc. and who does not need that? I was looking at Acts 2:42-47, this scripture mentions great things that most people long to see God do in our lives and in our churches. Right before the list of amazing things that took place the passage first mentions that they devoted themselves to fellowship – that is friendships were developed and cultivated! I have read this scripture many times and often pray for these amazing things to be seen more regularly but this was the first time I looked at it and realized that the things I long to see in and through God's people are hinged on the relationships we have with each other!

I began to look for Biblical examples of good relationships. What does a good relationship look like? I remembered Jonathon and David (1 Samuel 20:42) who swore friendship to future generations; this brings a whole new meaning to a "best friend". What is more interesting is when you look at who Jonathon is in relation to David. Jonathon was the son of King Saul, the man who was trying to kill David to prevent him from taking his throne. In spite of the drama that surrounded them, their friendship did not waiver - they did not allow the significant external influences to sway their commitment to one another. How many times do the petty external things ruin friendships?

I reflected on a couple more examples of Biblical friendships, which of course allowed me to see something more. I thought of Paul and Timothy. Paul often mentions Timothy in his writings as being with him and we see later the great things that Timothy does for God as well. I began to think that Paul could not do all that he did without Timothy's input, prayers, support, encouragement, or simple companionship! In turn, Timothy would not have been able to do what he did without his friendship to Paul. Another example like this is Esther and Mordecai. Esther had to rely on the good relationship and trust she had with her Uncle Mordecai in order to fulfill what she needed to and Mordecai would not have been placed where he was without Esther.

Good relationships make all the difference. There is something about the friendships we keep that impact our lives more than we think! We need to surround ourselves with the right people, to cultivate the Godly relationships that will make all the difference in our lives and in theirs!