The most valuable friendship

Real friendship is more valuable than money. He who does not have money is poor; but he who has no friends is poorer. Countless lives are saved, many problems are solved and great challenges are overcome, all because of loving friends who offer generous and sacrificial help in the form of emotional, financial, material support or just a listening ear, un understanding heart and a comforting presence.
John Chrysostom gave us insights on the value of friends: “Such is friendship, that through it we love places and seasons; for as..flowers drop their sweet leaves on the ground around them, so friends impart favour even to the places where they dwell. With friends even poverty is pleasant. It would be better for us that the sun were exhausted than that the we should be without friends.” I say, Amen. 
The Bible makes many references to the value of friendships. It also strongly encourages us to have friends because of the many benefits that come with friendship.
For example, Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  This means that if you hook up with a real friend you are guaranteed of true, unchangeable love.  Everyone needs to be loved and to be accepted by others.
However, not everyone will love us unconditionally. Some people shun us because of our appearance, weaknesses or social status but a friend is constant in their love for us regardless of whether we are rich or poor, in good times or bad times. Someone once said that in prosperity our friends know us but in adversity we know our friends. So he who has friends will find hep in difficult times but he who is friendless is without help in adversity.
 Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 reads “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” Husbands and wives who are friends in addition to being spouses have greater joy and peace in their family and marriages than couples who just see themselves as sex mates. Even businesses have seen increased productivity and sales as a result of smart partnerships.
Biblical friendship is deeper than what meets the eye. Our Shona culture recognises the value of friendship through the concept of “usahwira” in a much similar way to the friendship in the Bible. Usahwira is a covenant of friendship that is entered into by two people of the same sex with a vow to help and stick with each other at all times. The depth of usahwira is seen in the fact that a ritual is elaborately done, home brewed beer is drunk and clothes or weapons are exchanged. A covenant sahwira is obliged to cater for the needs of his or her friend’s family as if it were his or her own family. The only thing which is forbidden in the concept of usahwira is sleeping with the spouse of your covenant friend otherwise everything else can be done by a friend.
David and Jonathan were closest friends who sealed their friendship with a blood covenant. Their friendship is expressed thus: “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1). Their friendship was based on genuine love, trust, loyalty and understanding. It was valuable in the sense that Jonathan, who was privy to King Saul’s council, would reveal all the evil plots that his father made against David. These revelations saved David’s life and promoted him to kingship.
David’s and Jonathan’s friendship was just a shadow of the real, most valuable friendship we find in Christ. John 15:15 says, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” Nothing can be compared with being told by Christ what the heavenly Father, the Most High God, is saying about you, the world and the future.
Human friendships are valuable but friendship with Jesus Christ is priceless.
Human friends can be fickle and selfish in their reasons for befriending you but Christ sticks closer than a brother. He has greater love for us and he manifested this greater love in dying for us on the cross. Start to befriend Christ now and He will reveal to you great and mighty things that will change your life and destiny forever.
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