FRIENDSHIP according to PROVERBS (Bible)

The title looks a bit boring, isn’t it? >o<

No, I’m not gonna preach. I just want to share my experience in the Church about friendship.

Some weeks ago, I was asked to accompany the kids in the Sunday school in the Church so I did it. Since it was the kids that gonna be taught, the topic wasn’t so hard. It was about (guess what?) FRIENDSHIP.

First of all, the Sunday school teacher gave each kids a piece of paper and each of them was written a bible verse (although I’m not a kid, and my job was just to accompany them, the Sunday school teacher gave me a piece of paper too!). That time, I got Proverbs 18:24.

The other verse is:

• Proverbs 12:26

“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.”

This verse teaches us that ones should show and lead their friends to follow the right path. The right path is to obey the Lord’s order and not to commit sins.

• Proverbs 17:9

“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”

This verse tells us that a friend shouldn’t remember his friend’s mistake. A friend should forgive and forget the mistakes that his or her friend do. A quote by anonymous says: “A best way to keep a friendship is to bury their mistakes.”

• Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

It tells us that a true friendship is proved through any situation, condition, and circumstance, and a true friendship is last forever. And a true friend will always listen to us, as if we’re his or her brother or sister. A quote by Plato says: “A true friendship is everlasting and forever.”

• Proverbs 18:24

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

This verse simply tells us that a friend shouldn’t give his or her friend a negative effects to his or her friend, instead, such as the first point, he or she must gave a positive effects to his or her friend.

• Proverbs 22:24-25

“Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.”

This verse teaches us that as a friend, we shouldn’t be angry at our friend if he or she makes a mistake. Making a mistake is human’s nature after all. No one is completely perfect. Instead we should help our friend if they are in need.

• Proverbs 27:17

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

It teaches us that as a friend, we should help each other and build each other in Faith. Thus, God will give us a stronger faith in Christ and a stronger bond of friendship with our fellow. We can apply it by giving support to our friend.

We mustn’t insist our friend to become a good friend such as the Bible said. In fact, we should do it first. We must become a good friend in case we want to make many good friends. And who says it’s easy? It’s hard, you should know. But there’s a story from the Bible that tells us about a really strong friendship. It’s the story about the friendship of David and Jonathan. This is what Bible says about their friendship from 1 Samuel 18:3 “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.” Furthermore, read 2 Samuel 1:26 “I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” This was what David lamented when he heard that his friend, Jonathan, killed in a battle against Philistim.

As a closing, the Sunday school teacher wrote this in the board:

"FORGIVE each other

REFRESH each other

INVEST IN each other

ENCOURAGE each other

NURTURE each other

DEPEND ON each other

SHARE each other

HELP each other

INSPIRE each other

PRAY each other"

And, as a Sunday school usually do when the class is over, we prayed.