Being a Faithful Friend

 We must always be quick to keep our promises. This is especially true when we make promises to our friends, like David and Jonathan had made to each other. Like I said last week friendship is a wonderful gift from God. It is to be taken seriously and cultivated even to the next generation. That is just what David did. He brought Jonathan's crippled son, Mephibosheth, into his house, and treated him very well. (II Samuel 9:7) He told him that he was showing kindness to him for the sake of his father. Then, he returned all of Saul's land to Mephibosheth, so Saul's servants could work the land for him. He even brought him to eat at his table with his family, so he would not have to provide his own food. I hope we will get this picture and practice extended friendships like David did.

We need to value people and our relationships with them. We should have a special bond with our friends with whom we bond deeply. Yes, we should seek to extend kindness to their children and grandchildren to show them the importance of friendship. This is all part of loving one another the way Jesus loves us. (John 13:34) When we love the Father well, we will love others well, too. These to things go hand in hand. So, what promises have we made that we need to keep? What friends have we not reached out to lately? Whom do we need to extend kindness to in their family? I believe if we will do these things, we will honor the Lord and be a great testimony of God's love to others.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 10-13.