A Friend: Helps

22 / Sun – Read John 11:5

Overview: While the disciples knew Jesus intimately, the average person observing him knew one thing: he indiscriminately helps people. Because that’s what friends do. And we’re called to do the same.

23 / Mon – You’ve got a friend in me  |  Read Proverbs 18:24 / John 15:15

A good friend will understand, appreciate, respect, and love you for who you are. With a friend like that, you feel understood and empowered. You know Jesus as the Son of God, Savior, and Lord, but do you think of him as your friend? He calls you his friend. Spend some time dwelling on that thought. He really is the best friend anyone could ever have. If you could truly grasp this amazing truth, how might it change the way you relate to him?

24 / Tue – Be direct  |  Read Mark 10:46-52

Do you know someone who hints at a need but doesn’t come right out and ask for help? It might be one of your children who says, ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘this is too hard for me.’ It could be a friend who tells you he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to do something on his own. So you have to guess what they want. In this encounter, the man repeatedly called out to Jesus for mercy. See what Jesus asked him in v51. Could he be asking you the same question? If so, how would you answer him?

25 / Wed – Privileged information  |  Read Proverbs 16:28 and 17:9 and 20:19

It is something everyone is tempted to do at one time or another. When two people are talking about a third person, the conversation can slide into gossip. It might start as a prayer request, but knowing ‘privileged’ information can tempt you to continue sharing it with others, sometimes with disastrous results. What can you do when faced with this situation? Consider that you may not – and probably don’t – know all the details, so it’s always better to bring it to the Lord for his help.

26 / Thu – Choose wisely  |  Read Proverbs 12:26 and 13:20 and 22:24-25

Solomon wrote the Proverbs to help his son become a wise man, but many of them can be applied today. If you have some life experience, do you look back and remember a time when you did not choose your friends wisely? What happened? What did you learn? How did it change the way you picked friends in the future? David’s first Psalm (1:1) also has wise advice he passed down to Solomon, and to us as well. Are you living out this wisdom and passing it on to your family?

27 / Fri – Uncommon  |  Read Luke 10:36-37 / Matthew 26:48-50

Most friendships come from common interests and because people like each other. But not always. Consider the good Samaritan who helped his enemy, the Jewish man. It’s not recorded that they became fast friends, but how could you not want to connect with an ‘enemy’ who treated you so kindly? Even as Judas was betraying his rabbi, Jesus called him ‘friend.’ That is the kind of genuine love that sees past the offense of our enemy to the hurting person behind the facade. This week, will you be a friend like Jesus was to anyone and everyone you meet?

27 / Sat – Friends  |  Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 / Matthew 28:20b

Two is better than one. You may have read these words before, but have you ever applied them? In a culture that prizes rugged individualism and an independent spirit, it is rare to find friends who stick together through thick and thin over the long haul. Indeed, some friendships are only for a season, and you may grieve when that friend moves out of your life, but there is one Friend who promised never to leave you. He’s the only one you can always count on, the source of all the help you will ever need. How are you cultivating your friendship with him?