Is A Faithful Friend

Is A Faithful Friend

A HERO’S TALE

Jonathan had every reason to dislike David.

The young shepherd boy from Bethlehem had literally become an overnight hero in Israel when he killed Goliath the giant and sparked a huge military victory over the Philistines. Instantly, the whole country was talking about David. Women sang songs about him. Older men respected him. Everybody seemed to love him.

Except King Saul. Jonathan’s father grew jealous of David and became consumed with hatred toward him. Saul tried to kill David many times. In Saul’s mind, David was getting all the attention Saul should’ve been receiving, and he represented a threat to Saul’s rule.

Jonathan had become friends with David after the victory over Goliath. But as things started unfolding, Jonathan could have sided with his father. After all, as prince of Israel, Jonathan was the natural heir to Saul’s throne. He could have very easily turned against David and sought David’s harm to protect his own future reign as king.

But that’s not what Jonathan did. He was a faithful friend. As a sign of love and friendship, he gave David some of his royal clothing, as well as his sword and bow. (You can read about their friendship in 1 Samuel 18–20.)

Jonathan remained so loyal to David that Saul even tried to kill his own son. When Saul was hunting for David, Jonathan secretly came to David to encourage him, at the risk of his own life. Later, Jonathan willingly surrendered his claim to the throne for David.

Jonathan was an incredibly brave and faithful friend!

DECODING THE MESSAGE

What kind of friend are you? Are you someone who is more concerned with yourself or with others? Do you speak kindly to those around you? Can you be trusted?

If you want to be a faithful friend, you should

• always put others first;
• be trustworthy;
• look for ways to bless others;
• speak kindly to everyone;
• willingly share with others;
• be there to listen to others or help them in their time of need;
• stand up for others when the crowd is against them; and
• be joyful, not jealous, when good things happen to others.

Today’s verse talks about the benefits of close friendship. You’ll never regret being that type of friend to others.

It’s not easy to be a faithful friend. It takes lots of work and prayer to overcome our sinful, selfish desires. But with God’s help, you can do it!

BATTLE PLAN

Pray through the “faithful friend” list above and ask God to help you become this type of friend.