TRUE FRIENDSHIP/FRIEND

INTRODUCTION

ILLUSTRATION: Tom and Shyam were in the same regiment in the army. They were inseparable friends
and spent their evenings drinking together. After retirement, they went to different states and settled. However,
they kept correspondence through letters and e-mails. To keep the memory of their boozing bouts alive, Tom
always filled two glasses with rum and water and sipped from each alternately! When somebody asked him why
he did so, he explained: 'This glass is Shyam; this one is mine. So I take a sip from each - one on behalf of
Shyam, the other for myself.' Suddenly one evening Tom was seen with only one glass on his table. He was
asked what had happened. He replied, 'You see, I have given up drinking but Shyam has written that he has not.
So I have put away my glass and drink only on behalf of my friend.

 "Friendship is the only cement that will hold the world together." Wouldn't life be miserable without
friends. Everyone wants to think that they have at least one friend. Abraham Lincoln said, "The better
part of one's life consists of his friendships."
 Why are friends so important? A friend is one who is your ally in trouble. He is one to whom you can
tell your troubles and deepest secrets, without fear of having them revealed. He is one who like you
because you are you, and not for what he can get from you. "Your friend is the man who knows all about
you, and still likes you" (Elbert Hubard)

HISTORY OF FRIENDSHIP DAY :. The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed first Sunday of
August as the National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual
event. The noble idea of honoring the beautiful relationship of friendship caught on with the people and soon
Friendship Day became a hugely popular festival. Following the popularity and success of Friendship Day in
US, several other countries adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. Today, Friendship Day is
enthusiastically celebrated by several countries across the world including India.

WHAT IS…..

FRIENDSHIP: a relationship between friends.

FRIEND: a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or
family relations.

A Friend Is…

• Someone who wants the very best for your life

 • Someone who is willing to give up something of himself to help you become your best without asking
for something in return.

• Someone who gives you space when you need it, and, can let you make your own decisions; even when
he knows your decision may be a mistake!

• Someone who doesn’t run away when you make a mess of everything and still accepts you for who you
are.

TRUE FRIEND: If one friend needs the support of the other on a consistent basis such that the person
depended upon receives no benefit other than the opportunity to support and encourage, while the relationship
may be significant and valuable, it can't be said to define a true friendship.

WHY FRIENDSHIP?
Man is a social being

 Common interests

 Common values

 Equality

TYPES OF FRIENDS IN GENERAL

Must friend: a best friend, a member of your inner circle, a person you count on when something big happens
in your life

Trust friend: a friend who shows integrity, someone you feel comfortable with, that you’re always glad to see,
but not in your inmost circle; perhaps someone you’d like to be closer to, if you had the time or opportunity

Rust friend: a person you’ve known for a long, long time; you’re probably not going to get any closer to that
person, unless something changes, but a part of your life
Selfish friend: At first sight you know what kind of a friend is this. This person always thinks about, talks about
themselves. They don’t care what’s up to you or what’s going on around you. They are unable to
separate their own thoughts from others. You couldn’t able to see their presence in your life events. Even
for your happiness, they are not being with you. They just want to show up their success or boast about
their properties. They never respect your anything. Either they don’t listen to you and never apologize.
Also these people ignore you in a group to be highlighted themselves. ‘It’s all about me’, ‘me’, and
‘myself’ are the most common words inside them.

Jealousy friend: This is a person who doesn’t like to see your success. Basically if every time you become
success or have good news, your friend acts distant, it could mean they are jealous. A jealous kind of a friend
gives the credit to someone else no matter what you did. A deeply jealous friend never acknowledge that you
may actually have earned or even deserve good things that are happening to you. They put a big fake smile on
their face whenever good things happen. You can feel the smell of fake smile if you really know that person
well. This person never supports you to make your own empire. Usually they find out mistakes, disadvantages
of your successful work. They mostly talk behind your back rather than appreciate your achievements. It's all
because they don’t truly happy for your success. Also this type of a person can’t share you with other people. In
case of this, a jealousy friend can ruin your relationship for their sake.

Bossy friend: This is someone who needs to be one-up on you. They aren’t helping in need. They always try to
change you when you are becoming success. A bossy friend doesn’t respect to your ideas and they try to guide
you to a bad position. It makes them feel so good. This kind of a person may advice you more but never wants
to see your best. Whenever you become success they will be aggressive. However they want to find something
better than you but they won’t show how they really feel inside. If they ever get a chance to make you to be
addicted to drugs or alcohol, they will definitely do it without any hesitate. They will appreciate your bad
behavior
Cunning friend: In the other hand we can call them as opportunists. This type of a person hangs out with you
when it only suits them. Whenever you get tough or hard times, they start to reject or ignore you. This
person always comes to you when they need something. They like to use you because you own a car, an
apartment or home, lots of money or something more valuable than others. You may notice borrowing
become an issue. They borrow your money and never pay you back. Actually they never return a favor.
A cunning friend is really dangerous to trust because they may use your emotions against you. Be
careful of them, cause they can emotionally blackmail you. Totally they try to playing around with your
emotions to fulfill their dreams. The hardest thing to figure out about these people is whether they lie or
tell truth. They may promise to be with you through thick and through thin but never be there for you.
Indeed their actions don’t match words.

Think! What kind of a friend are you? Or else which types of friends you have? It’s time for a change.

 “Choose friends who share your values so you can strengthen and encourage each other in living high
standards.

 “To have good friends, be a good friend. …

 “As you seek to be a friend to others, do not compromise your standards.”

 A true friend is someone who has touched your heart and will stay there. Someone you care for, who
cares for you.

 A true friend walks in even the whole world walks out...

 “Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts
nor measure words.” -~ George Eliot

WHERE WILL WE FIND THE BEST FRIEND FOR EVER

 He has created us in his image and likeness. That means he put his characters in us to a certain level.
 Before Adam and Eve were created God created every thing for them.
 He has bestowed human beings with some of the finest qualities like free will, conscience with rationale
an ability to choose between good and bad
 He placed them in plenties
 Every evening he use to come to them and spend some time
 He warned them out of love not to eat the fruit of the tree situated at the middle of the garden.
 But Adam and Eve ate the fruit with the cunning and crafty act of Satan the enemy of God. Adam and
eve were deceived by the words of Satan not caring the words of God the good friend.
  That’s how sin entered in to the world. Sin is the willful disobedience to God’s warn
 SIN IS NOT JUST AN ACT BUT IT IS AN ATTITUDE.
 THE SEAT OF SIN IS THE HUMAN HEART
 What all we see the bad in society now is the result of Adam’s disobedience
 He never misses any opportunity to regain friendship.
 “Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't
say.”
 "A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."
 HE IS NONE OTHER THAN JESUS CHRIST THE EVER LOVING & BEST FRIEND FOR US

JESUS WAS A FRIEND TO ALL WHILE ON THE EARTH.

A. Jesus was a friend to Children

B. Jesus was a friend to the Poor.
C. Jesus was a friend to the Sick.
D. Jesus was a friend to All Races.

IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY JESUS IS A FRIEND TO SINNERS.

 Jesus laid down his life for Sinners:

 This was the good news that was Preached to Lost Sinners.
 This makes Jesus a friend to all of us, since We are all Sinners.
JESUS CALLS ON US TO BE HIS FRIENDS.
A. How did he show his friendship?
John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
B. Jesus calls all men to be his friends.
Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest. 29- Take My
yoke upon you and learn from Me , for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
C. How do we become the friends of Jesus?
John 15:14 - "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
D. What does Jesus call on us to do to be our friends?
1. We must believe that he is the Messiah.
a. John 8:24 - "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you
will die in your sins."
2. Repent (turn away from) our sins.
a. Luke 13:3-5
3. Confess the name of Christ.
a. Matthew 10:32

CONCLUSION:

Jesus was a "people-person" when He walked among us. He was "the friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Luke
7:34). He befriended the alienated, morally down and out people of His day. Will Rogers said, "In ever met a
person I didn't like," but Jesus' life says, "I never met a sinner I didn't want to befriend." Jesus loved the sinner
but hated the sin. He treated people he came in contact with as individuals of great worth . He looks at you and
sees what you can become, not what you are. He holds out his hand and says, "Come, accept my friendship and
be my friends."

GOD WANTS TO BE OUR FRIEND!!

• God called the Hebrews out of Egypt and offered them a covenant; a partnership.

• God sent these men and used their friendship with Him to spread His word.

• He finally sent His son, Jesus, the Christ

YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE GOD’S FRIEND!

• Jesus is God. He and the Father are one and they work through the Holy Spirit to spread His message of
friendship.

• Jesus is the Christ, meaning “the anointed one”, the liberator setting men free from their bondage

• Jesus announces the Kingdom of God is available to all.

• Jesus offers us eternal life.

• In Jesus, God offers us His unconditional love and friendship.

The Most Rewarding Choice is Living in Friendship with God

• It is the only choice that is worthy of us. It is totally satisfying. It is true!

• We are children of God, loved, and created by God to be loved by Him.

• We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, loved and restored by Him

• We are temples of the Holy Spirit

F stands for forgiveness - It is good to find acceptance
R stands for respect - To flourish with observance
I stands for intuition - There is that special feeling
E stands for endurance - If taken care of, continuing
N stands for nurture - This is something you want to conserve
D stands for devotion - Something to preserve
S stands for support - To hold each other up
H stands for honesty - Lies will just buildup
I stands for inspiration - Do things for each other's sake
P stands for perseverance - Persistence is what it takes