FriendshipНамуна

Wednesday: Thicker Than Blood

SOAP: 1 Samuel 18:1-4

When David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. Saul retained David on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his own life. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt. 

Devotion:

Few of us would think about making a covenant with our friends! David and Jonathan are a good example of how strong a friendship can be when it is rooted in mutual love for God. Even when Jonathan’s father wanted to kill David, Jonathan was loyal to his friend. It might surprise many of us to think that our faith could ask us to be more loyal to our friends than to our family! The New Testament takes this example even further. The people of God are no longer defined by being born into the ethnic people of Israel, but by acceptance into the family of God. 

Our friendships with believers should look different than our other relationships because we share a common purpose. We are called to spend our lives pointing to the kingdom of God, glorifying Him with our lives, and sharing the Good News of the gospel with a weary world. Our allegiance to God may cause tension in our families like it did for Jonathan, but he had the gift of a godly friend. We can find comfort in the everlasting family we have been accepted into. 

Prayer:

God, thank You for making me a part of Your family! Help me protect and fight for my friends the way Jonathan did for David. Amen.