A friend is a treasure; a gift without price!

“A friend loves at all times, and as a brother, is born for adversity.”   Proverbs 17:17

A true friend is someone you can count on, no matter what!  Faithful, like a rock in a weary land or like a refreshing river running through a parched desert!  One can run to a true friend in the heat of the most parching of days and find rest in their shadow.

Like the beautiful song says, “You raise me up so I can stand on mountains! You lift me up to walk on stormy seas! For I am strong when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up to more than I can be.”

Here’s to Friendship!
Here’s to all my friends that have made me rich in the things that matter,
Rich in the things that count!

Laughter shared, an unconscious part,
Of every single beat of my heart.

A push up when I’m sliding down,
Honest words that heal and love that abounds.

A hand to hold and a fervent prayer,
Someone who makes me know they care.

Help to persevere in the hour of trial,
Giving light in the darkness and hope for the hour.

Oh, precious friend, though you may be far away,
You are a fragrant part of my every day!
   Because you are my friend!

A Priceless Gift From a Beloved Friend
I was in a country far, far away, so I hadn’t heard the news that she had passed the evening before. It was early morning and still dark when I saw her face and knew at once that she was in heaven. Her face seemed to glow with a heavenly sheen and her eyes were sparkling with an incredible joy! When she spoke to me and called me by name, I cried tears of gratitude for such an awesome gift! I hear her words like it was yesterday:  “It’s OK, Janie, It’s OK!  It’s beautiful here!” And when I asked the Lord why He gave me such a gift, He said, “It was her request!”

(Because of the time change, she had only been gone for a very few minutes.)

A Chinese Proverb:
Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend’s forehead!

Georgian Friendship
Georgians are known the world over for their warm hospitality and deep, lasting friendships. We have watched them survive the worst of times; when there was neither heat nor food in their homes and all was dark and cold and seemingly without hope for change! How did they do it? By helping each other!

One of the famous Georgian poets:  Alexander Abasheli wrote:

Longing For You
The violet longs for dewdrops bright,
The swallow for its last year’s nest,
The cliff-to be by floods caressed,
Youth longs for kisses’ endless chain,
The aged-telling tales of old.
But I -your friendship to obtain,
And in my love your love.

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia! It is a lovely ancient city that seems to breathe friendship! On the mountain above Totsminda, which is the center of this ancient and beautiful city, stands the statue “Mother Georgia”. She holds a sword in her right hand and a cup of wine in her left; depicting the Georgian’s open welcome to their friends and the deep commitment to protect her people from their enemies.

An Amazing Fact: One of the most amazing truths about friends is what Jesus said in the incredible chapter  John 15! In verse 15 He says, “No longer do I call you a servant…But I have called you friends.” We can be a friend of God, “if we do whatever He commands us”, he said in verse 14. You wouldn’t call someone that you do not know very well your friend, would you? Let’s make it a goal this year to become more acquainted with our Lord Jesus Christ; to know Him more intimately than ever before!

Philippians 3:10 (Amplified version) says it so well: "For my determined purpose is that I may know Him (that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly)…"

"When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong calm sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.”