Who are your closest friends? Good friends are hard to come by in a world of superficial acquaintances and shallow relationships. "Hanging with the crowd" can give us a false sense of belonging, but often leaves us wounded and alone in times of trouble. Open, honest, supportive, and loving relationships don't happen without investment. Ask the Lord to lead you to close friends in his family. Minister to and serve those around you. Listen to their requests, faithfully upholding them in prayer. Spend time in Christian service with other servant believers. Join yourself to a Bible study or accountability group. As you do, trust that God will give you that "stick-through-thick-and-thin-friend." Companions are easy to find, but can be unreliable. Development of Christian friends is an investment of effort and time, but they are friends with whom we will share forever. Precious God, I thank you for my friends (include the names of friends). Please, dear Father, lead me into the life of someone this week who needs me to be his or her friend. Bless all those who read Today's Verse with a Christian friend that will help them in their walk with you. Thank you so much, dear Father, for my greatest friend, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen. A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. -- Proverbs 18:24 Thomas R.
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