Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 2
Sunday


BEST FRIENDS

READ:
1 SAMUEL 20:30-42
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The righteous should
choose his friends
carefully.
__Proverbs s12:26
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When I signed up for a popular Internet social network, I was shocked to be greeted with the words, "You have no friends." Although I knew it was untrue, I still felt sad for a moment. The idea that anyone, even an impersonal Web site, would call me friendless was upsetting. Friends are essential for our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Friends listen to our heartaches without blaming us for having problems. They defend us when we're under attack. They are happy when we succeed and sad when we fail. They give us wise counsel to keep us from making foolish choices. They even risk making us angry for the sake of making us right. My friends have done all of this and more for me.

Perhaps the best-known friendship in the Bible is that of Jonathan and David. Jonathan was heir to the throne of his father Saul. But he knew that the Lord had chosen David for that role, so he risked his own life to save his friend (1 Sam. 20).

As the Bible shows us, we need to choose friends carefully (Prov. 12:26). The very best friends are those who are friends with God and who strengthen our relationship with Him(1 Sam. 23:16). Julie Ackerman Link
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````````````````````I do not ask for many friends,````````````````
`````````````````````But give me, Lord, the few``````````````````
```````````````````Whose loyalty and faithfulness`````````````````
`````````````````Are first of all to You. __Meadows````````````````
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True friends are like diamonds__precious and rare.

***************Today's Bible REading __ 1 Samuel 20:30-42********

30 Then Saul's anger was
aroused against Jonathan,
and he said to him,

"... 31 For as long as the son
of Jesse lives on the earth,
you shall not be established,
nor your kingdom. Now
therefore, send and bring him
to me, for he shall surely
die."

32 and Jonathan answered
Saul his father, and said to
him, "Why should he be
killed? What has he done?"

33 Then Saul cast a spear at
him to kill him, by which
Jonathan knew that it was
determined by his father to
kill David.

34 so Jonathan arose from
the table in fierce anger, and
ate no food the second day of
the month, for he was grieved for David....

35 And so it was, in the
morning, that Jonathan went
out into the field at the time
appointed with David, and a
little lad was with him.

36 Then he said to his lad,
"Now run, find the arrows
which I shoot." As the lad
ran, he shot an arrow beyond
him. 37 When the lad had
come to the place where the
arrow was which Jonathan
had shot, Jonathan cried out
after the lad and said, "Is not
the arrow beyond you?"

38 And Jonathan cried out
after the lad, "Make haste,
hurry, do not delay!" So
Jonathan's lad gathered up
the arrows and came back to
his master. 39 But the lad did
not know anything. Only
Jonathan and David knew of
the matter. 40 Then Jonathan
gave his weapons to his lad,
and said to him, "Go, carry
them to the city."

41 As soon as the lad had
gone, David arose.... and
they kissed one another; and
they wept together, but David
more so. 42 Then Jonathan
said to David, "Go in peace,
since we have both sworn in
the name of the LORD,
saying, 'May the LORD be
between you and me, and
between your descendants
and my descendants,
forever' " So he arose and
departed, and Jonathan went
into the city.

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