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 (19:1-2; 20:12-13).
In 1 Samuel 23:16, we see the highest moment of their friendship. When David was on the run from Saul, "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 14:13). The glory of life is to love, not to be loved; to give, not to get; to serve, not to be served.
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