Real Life Situations

From rocking the cradle until walking away from a grave side, we face the same question in many different situations. What does it mean to truly be a friend to another person?

• His tiny body became rigid as the tone of his "no" communicated it all. Daddy's little boy was defiantly disobeying. How should a loving Daddy respond?
• After hearing her mother's restrictions, a teenager's eyes flashed fire as the words exploded from her lips, "you don't love me, but my friends care about me!"
• In the courtyard at school a classmate whispered, "if you are my friend and care about me you will not say that I did it."
• A member of the congregation who had fallen into an ungodly lifestyle blurted out at the elders who had come to visit him, "You are supposed to be loving and forgiving! My friends accept me just as I am without telling me I have to change. My friends care about me."

The Need for A Real Answer

Without a solid understanding of what true love is, this beautiful gift of God can become whitewash for insidious damage. When someone does not have a firm grip upon how to love, he can contribute to the demise of others in the name of love.

Building A Real Answer

Since Jesus knew the path which leads to life and because he also loved a rich young ruler, he told that young man what he was lacking in order to inherit eternal life and have treasures in heaven. It was not a message which the rich young ruler wanted to hear. Jesus did not simply rubber stamp an approval, he called for change, but it was the loving response. Mark 10:17-22

Because my wife understands what it means to really love our children, you can hear her saying, "son, I love you too much to allow you to continue to do this. I must punish you." My wife knows that if she does not train our children to live righteously they will end up hurting themselves. As the scripture says, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." Proverbs 13:24

To be a true friend requires knowing both what is true and what the goal of life is. Although it is wonderful to feel good and to be able to affirm others, neither of these are the goal which should drive our behavior. To be a friend who cares involves interacting with others in such a way so as to help them toward that life which is truly life. This can require encouraging them as well as rebuking them. A real friend seeks the wellbeing of others instead of his own comfort in avoiding confrontation.

To be a true friend causes one to look like Jesus. May God work in our lives so that we might be true friends to those around us.

Other Articles Which Might Be Of Interest:

Evangelistic Secrets of Peter and John

Cameos of Love

Protecting Love

A Short Handbook on Love

Barry Newton, Copyright © 2000

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