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True Friends are priceless. The ones whom you reserve a place in your heart and give your love to because they are a part of who you are. I believe that is why Jesus used the word friends to describe his new relationship with His disciples. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 Friends are on equal footing with family. Later, we read Jesus is our brother, so we can view friends and family as interchangeable terms. Friendship is a treasure and Jesus valued us on a stratospheric level of worth. Not because of us or our actions but because he just loves. So, He did everything for the benefit of us, his friends. He even gave up his life to ensure Love would win over Death. “No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends.” John 15:14 He did this so that in this life we would have hope and that one day we could be with Him. He protects us until that day.
“Love always protects…” 1Corinthians 13:7
The Greek word for “protects” isstegei, literally means “to cover” and includes the idea of protecting and preserving. I believe that He wants us to emulate that heart toward our friends too. A desire to honor the relationship so that if there is the possibility of harm, we don’t introduce it or entertain it. We can love everyone, but not nurture things that can hurt our friends. We are shrewd about our words and lives so that we can be loving, accepting, forgiving, to others but not allow our friends to suffer because we neglected to protect. A friend is loyal and faithful all the time in Love which protects.
“A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.” Prov 17:17
When you have established real friends, you’ll know it by the love you have for each other. Real friends are always a hope, but I do believe He wants us to be careful. We don’t want to do harm to our friends by our choices.
“The righteous choose their friends carefully,” Prov 12:26
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matt 10:16
Love will love all, but will also do no harm, so it is shrewd and careful in all relationships. Especially so that it does no harm.
“Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:10
I am grateful for real friends and their care of me. It’s my intent to be that way with them. To give them of myself as Jesus did to protect them from harm and not allow them to be hurt by my actions.
Protect in Love Always ???
I was talking to somebody today that was hoping humans could just be kind. I didn’t really know what to say. I wonder too. Sometimes, I really do not understand why a person deliberately and without provocation or reason, mistreats another. I really cannot understand it. It’s the reason Love is so messy. To layer on Love while someone is purposefully hurtful in their actions, words, lies, deceit, unreasonable behaviour, etc. The person I was having the conversation with, wasn’t confident humans could be kind. Well, I can’t change people. But I can convert my own heart to deal with this. It’s going to all have to go back to the study on what Compels us as Christians. Because sometimes that is the only thing that will bypass my own desire for justice. “Christ’s love compels us.” 2Cor 5:14 Then there’s hope to Love Always.