Vision180's

A True Friend

‘A real friend sticks closer than a brother.’ Proverbs 18:24 NLT

So there were these two cows that looked over a fence and saw these words on a passing milk truck: ‘Pasteurised, Homogenised, Vitamin A added.’ One cow said to the other, ‘It makes you feel a bit inadequate, doesn’t it?’

Seriously, is ‘inadequate’ how you feel today? There’s too much to do, and not enough of you to go around? Or you doubt you have the talent or resources?

You may think you can do everything on your own, but you’ll begin to realise you need the help of others. In a perfect world Adam still couldn’t make it by himself, so God said, ‘I will make a helper suitable for him.’ (Genesis 2:18 NIV)

Sometimes the solution requires more than prayer or even counselling; it requires help from a friend who understands—especially one who has fought the same battles and won. In Acts chapter three God used Peter and John to bring about the healing of a lame man sitting at the temple gate. But there was another miracle a few months earlier that laid the groundwork for this one.

Peter had denied Jesus, fallen flat on his face, and decided to return to his old fishing job. He was totally leaving that whole fishers-of-men thing behind. But John refused to let go of him. And it was John who recognised the Lord and directed Peter back to Him! As a result, Peter was restored, a lame man was healed, and three thousand people were won to Christ in a single day through Peter’s preaching. You don’t need a lot of people in your life; you just need the right people. So ask God for a ‘true friend’ who will stick by you; then you do the same for someone else.

SoulFood: 1 Ki 21–22, Mark 10:1–12, Ps 82, Pro 12:18–19