1 Samuel 18:1 Friendship
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

1 Samuel 18:1 New American Standard Bible

1. Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

We all would like a friendship as pure and uncomplicated as this was.  Jonathan and David saw in each other something that was trustworthy and true.  Immediately they were bonded in their souls.  It was something understood between them; a divine appointment that brought their lives together for a purpose.

Today’s friendships aren’t as intimate.  Many friendships appear to be close, but a busy lifestyle and family issues put invisible barriers that prevent the intimate closeness God desires us to have.  We have to have quick visits that must not interfere with our daily routines.  It is not so easy to get together with friends once considered close, which makes it virtually impossible to profess closeness on an intimate level.

With time, we may meet with this familiar friend and feel quite comfortable.  We may have conversations in that time that are easy and make us laugh, but the truth is, if we are not in contact with them and finding out what is going on in their lives on a regular basis then our meetings are nothing more than a time for catching up.  Part of the intimacy that David and Jonathan knew were in the times they cried together or expressed themselves while going through a hard time.

They cultivated and grew their friendship in the daily walking out with each other throughout their life.   A lunch date here and a dinner date there does not make for a close friendship. It only makes for a moment of sharing what the other has already experienced.   Shared experience brings intimacy and a deeper love.  

God is a God of relationship.  He opened up the possibility of having a strong and intimate closeness with Him because this is vital to Him and He wants it to be just as important to us.

A mutual give and take brings closeness and intimacy.  It is a way to feel connected.

Challenge:   Spend time and energy on friendships that you see developing and growing.  If the person is too busy to have regular contact, that is ok, it’s time to bring others into your life who have that kind of time to grow in relationship.  More than ever we need people around us who are constant and will walk with us through the most difficult times of our life.  It is becoming harder in this world and we cannot afford to stand alone.  We need friends who desire closeness.

God bless

Marni

Go on to: 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Encourage Others
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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.