Daily Devotions
To Have a Friend You Must Be a Friend
Reading for March 28th: 1 Samuel 19-21
And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
1 Samuel 20:17
Everyone needs a friend like Jonathan. Jonathan knew David was going to sit on the throne instead of him, but that didn't matter to him. Jonathan would live and die for David, even if it meant opposing his own father.
Do you have a friend like that, the kind that will live and die for you?
To have a friend like that, you must be a friend like that (Prov 18:24). What does that mean? It means you deny yourself. It means you give of yourself to that person expecting nothing in return. It means you rejoice in their triumphs and mourn over their failures. It means you drop everything when they need you. It means you seek their happiness above your own. It means you bear, and believe, and hope, and endure. It means you forgive, again and again for as long as it takes to get it right.
Friendships like David and Jonathan's don't just happen. They are born out of hardship and struggle, through battles fought together side by side. They are developed over years of faithful, steady, dependable investment in each other. A friendship like this is costly. But once you have it, you would not trade anything for it.
How much did David love Jonathan? When Jonathan wanted to know that David would fulfill his vow to him, he asked him to swear by something he had learned he could always believe in: David's own love for him.
Do you have a friend like this? Are you a friend like this?
Father God, thank you for being this kind of friend... for being our best friend. Help us to return your love by loving others as you have loved us.
