OUR DAILY BREAD : MY FRIENDS AND I

[cimi]

December 18
Thursday


MY FRIENDS
AND I

READ;
1 Samuel 18:1-4;
23:15-18
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Then Jonathan
and David made a
covenant, because he
loved him as his own
soul. __1 Samuel 18:3
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John Chrysostom (347-407), archbishop of Constantinople, said this about friendship: "Such is friendship, that through it we love places and seasons; for as...flowers drop their sweet leaves on the ground around them, so friends impart favor even to the places where they dwell."

Jonathan and David illustrate the sweetness of a true friendship. The Bible records an intimate and immediate bond between them (1 Sam. 18:1). They kept their friendship alive by demonstrating their loyalty to each other (18:3; 20:16, 42; 23:18), as well as nurturing it by expressions of concern. Jonathan gave gifts to David (18:4) and watched out for him through many difficulties (19:1-3; 20:12-13).

In 1 Samuel 23:16, 23:16, we see the highest moment of their friendship. When David was fugitive on the run from Jonathan's father, "Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God." Friends help you find strength in God during the low points of life.

In a world where most relationships are about what we can get, let us be the type of friends who focus on what we can give. Jesus, our perfect Friend, demonstrated for us that "greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). __Poh Fang Chia

```````````````Thank You, Lord, for the friends You've given me to love```````````````
``````````````me in spite of my failures and weaknesses. Let me treat```````````````
``````````````them as You treated Your friends. Bind us together in You``````````````
````````````````````````and enable us to help on e another.```````````````````````
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The glory of life is to love, not to be loved;
to give, not to get; to serve, not to be served.

**************************************Today's Bible Reading __ 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 23:15-18**********************************

1 Samuel 18
1 Now when he had
finished speaking to Saul,
the soul of Jonathan was
knit to the soul of David,
and Jonathan loved him as
his own soul. 2 Saul took
him that day, and wold not
let him go home to his
father's house anymore.

3 Then Jonathan and David
made a covenant, because
he loved him as his own
soul. 4 And Jonathan took
off the robe that was on him
and gave it to David, with
his armor, even to his sword
and his bow and his belt.

1 Samuel 23
15 so David saw that Saul
had come out to seek his
life. And David was in the
Wilderness of Aiph in a
forest. 16 Then Jonathan,
Saul's son, arose and went
to David in the woods and
strengthened his hand in
God. 17 And he said to him,
"Do not fear, for the hand
of Saul my father shall not
find you. you shall be king
over Israel, and I shall be
next to you. Even my father
Saul knows that." 18 So the
tow of them made a
covenant before the LORD.
and David stayed in the
woods, and Jonathan went
to his own house.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The deep friendship between David and Jonathan withstood the test
of time and circumstances, evidenced when Jonathan went against
his father, King Saul (1 Sam. 20), endangering his own life in order
to save David (v.33). Although Jonathan was the crown prince, he
encouraged David by assuring his safety and affirming that he would
be the next king (23:17),. After Jonathan died in battle (31:1-6),
David honored him with the "Song of the Bow," which was to be
remembered by the people Judah (2 Sam. 1:18-27).