The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the definition of a true friend: "No one has greater love than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I will no longer call you servants, because the servant does not know what his lord does; but I have called you friends, because all the things that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you "(John 15: 13-15). Jesus is the pure example of a true friend, because He laid down His life for his 'friends'. In addition, anyone can become His friend by trusting Jesus as their personal Savior, being reborn and receiving a new life in Him.
There is an example of true friendship between David and Jonathan son of Saul, who, despite the persecution of his father Saul of David and attempts to kill him, remained faithful to his friend.
1 Samuel 18: 1-3
Pact of Jonathan and David
18 It happened that when he had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan's soul was bound up with David's, and Jonathan loved him as he loved himself.
2 And Saul took him that day, and did not let him go back to his father's house.
3 And Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as himself.
As in this story, how many times has it happened in our lives, we have felt linked to people who are not even part of our families, to the point of worrying and being aware of their well-being. Many people like David and Jonathan have come to make pacts to maintain a beautiful friendship over time and despite the circumstances, without seeing condition, social status, race or color. Friendship is a deep feeling that is born of God's love.
1 Samuel 19: 4-7
4 Jonathan spoke to his father Saul on behalf of David:
"Do not let His Majesty sin against his servant David!" He begged. He has not done him any harm; On the contrary, what he has done has been of great benefit to His Majesty. 5 To kill the Philistine he risked his own life, and the Lord gave a great victory to all Israel. His Majesty himself saw it and was glad. Why should he sin against an innocent and kill David for no reason?
6 Saul listened to Jonathan and exclaimed:
"As true as the Lord lives, I swear David will not die.
7 Then Jonathan called David and, after telling him all the conversation, took him to Saul so that he would be at his service as before.
We can see through this passage the concern of Jonathan for the life of his friend David and how he intervenes for him before his father Saul, but notice that David had planted well in that family and had earned admiration, respect and love Jonathan and despite the envy that Saul felt for David could not help but recognize what David had done for him when he defeated the Philistine to the point that I swear David would not die.
1Samuel: 20: 11-17
11 And Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go out into the field. And they went out into the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, "Jehovah God of Israel, be a witness! When I have asked my father tomorrow at this time, or the third day, if it turns out well with David, then I will send you to let you know.
13 But if my father tries to do you wrong, Jehovah do so to Jonathan, and even add him, if he does not tell you and I will send you to go in peace. And may the Lord be with you, as he was with my father.
14 And if I live, you will show kindness to the Lord, so that he will not die.
15 and you will not turn away your mercy from my house forever. When Jehovah has cut off David's enemies from the earth one by one, do not let the name of Jonathan be taken away from the house of David.
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the LORD require it from the hand of David's enemies."
17 And Jonathan made David swear again, because he loved him, because he loved him as himself.
We can observe in this story, once again the ratification and the demonstration of a pact of unconditional friendship.
Matthew 22:39 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
When we approach people we must do it without any personal interest, always looking to help the other without thinking of taking advantage of him or her, loving, valuing and respecting the condition of that person, we will not always find people who think like us or act Like us or have the same social or racial condition that we do, when we truly love we accept people as they are, with all their faults, because we must understand that we can not change that power only God has through of his love, he loved us without condition went to the cross of Calvary, he did not care about the size of our sins, he just thought about saving us and freeing us from the prison of sin, just like the story of Jonathan his friend was a simple caretaker of sheep while he was a friend of a king, he did not care about David's appearance or where he came from, he simply loved him, accepted him in his heart without any interest, without any a condition to help him be free from death.
Would you be able to give your life for that friend, friend?
the matter sounds complicated, right? and it is that everything is summarized in the second and great commandment "love your neighbor as yourself", many of us are at that level of love ourselves never give life for another but we are able to love ourselves, but there are things there are situations that keep the human being tied, imprisoned by preventing them from loving themselves, God wants us to exercise ourselves in this, so that we can be truly free and we can get to love ourselves surely we will stop doing things that hurt us, stop talking bad about people and not look at their faults, stop judging each other, this is where we will begin to experience the power to love others, and it is here at this level where a true friendship begins to be valued. God is our faithful friend He never fails us. God is good he never looks at your condition and then loves you he simply loved you, loves you and will love you forever.
God bless you until the next opportunity.
To be friends with Jesus, a love of feelings, of emotions is not enough. We must love Jesus with a love of dedication, of fidelity. With a love made works. The world in which we live is in need of friendship. We have advanced so much in so many things, we live so fast and so busy, that, at last, we forget the most important thing. The noise and speed are eating the dialogue between humans and we have more and less friends and acquaintances.
The Greek philosopher Socrates claimed that he preferred a friend to all the treasures of King Darius. For the Latin poet Horacio, a friend was half his soul. St. Augustine did not hesitate to say that the only thing that can console us in this human society so full of work and errors is the unfeigned faith and love that each other's true friends profess. What is friendship? Simple sympathy, companionship, camaraderie? Friendship is one of the highest aspects of love. Aristotle defined friendship as wanting and procuring the good of the friend for the friend himself. Laín Entralgo defined it this way: "The communication full of love between two people, in which, for the mutual good of these, the human nature is realized and perfected".
DR
That true
Friendship is a value among humans and one of God's highest gifts. God himself presents himself as a friend of men: a covenant of friendship seals with Abraham, with Moses, with the prophets. By sending Christ he showed himself as a friend of men.
Jesus christ shows the true meaning of a true friendship when he died for us , there is no other earthly freind who will be willing to give up his life for his friend.
the only friend who is alwaysc there is Christ.
He is the only person whom our life should be dedicated to.
That's what Jesus' sacrifice is about, to be able to repent of our bad ways and have a victorious, glorious and brilliant life but I suppose that many of us are still in that process.
We mustn't compromise our friendship with Jesus.
It's very precious.....
Thanks for sharing
To be a friend to someone you must be dedicated ,loyal and be ready to defend such person
so is
While reading this post, I thought about Jonathan and David, the friendship they shared and I marveled, wondering if such sincere friendship can be found in us today. Thank you for this article @mariela
Definitely we must know the fullness of God's love to have friendships like Jonathan and David, a sincere friendship, a friendship that even in the distance do not forget that no adversity or time or space can make it disappear, but rather that it permanates . I think if you can find friendships this time as well as Jonathan and David.
And, I really like this
It's a question we must asks ourselves.