Sunday 19 Nov 2017

November 19: Proverbs 27:9-10

Key Verse: Proverbs 27:10
Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you - better a neighbour nearby than a relative far away.

Devotion:
How much do you really put into friendships? How much do you trust your friends or neighbours who are close by? Sometimes we withdraw from people who are physically close to us and depend rather on people closely related to us instead. What happens when we are in desperate need of something and the only people close enough to help us are those friends and neighbours who we have refused to get close to?

God wants us to be able to mix and interact with our neighbours and friends who live close to us. Some of us are fortunate enough to have family that are just as close, but this is not always the case. What we have to begin to realise is we are actually all one family when seen through God's eyes – so why do we act differently? There are many societies in different countries who do mix well with each other and depend on each other. They live very happy lives together and build up circles of trust which run very deep. But here in England so many people tend not to do that, closing the rest of the world off when the front door is shut.

We can set up our homes as best as we can with all the luxuries we can afford, but none of this is going to match up to friendship. No earthly materials are going to match the friendship we can gain from others. No materials will ever affect the heart like a true friendship can. When we build up true friendships, we know then we can depend on others for anything. We know then we can rely on others. When they need help, we can help them. When we need help, they will be there for us.

But never forget that God is closer to us than any friend. He is there to help us at all times and we need to acknowledge Him as our close friend at all times!

Points to Ponder:
When did you last do things with your neighbours?

When did you last include Christ in your circle of friends?