John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Good friends help you find important things when you have lost them….things like your smile, your hope and courage.”
A good friend is a source of strength and comfort. Friendship is about sharing, caring and giving. A good friend gives without expectations and shares without reservations. There is no love when there are demands in a relationship. If a friendship features as ‘control’ and ‘pushy’ it will eventually evolve into emotional entanglement and bondage.
Nathanael was a friend of Philip, (the disciple of Jesus from Bethsaida). When Philip found the Messiah whom they had been waiting for eagerly for centuries he could not keep it from his friend Nathaniel. The gospel of John introduces Nathaniel as Philip’s friend who took him to Jesus. “Come and see,” said Philip (John 1:46b). Nathaniel had his ‘eureka moment’ when he met Jesus. Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel (John 1:49). Nathaniel’s doubts and indecisions dissolved as soon as he met Jesus. He became a disciple and an ardent follower of Jesus. The encounter with Jesus stripped away his disbelief about the Saviour. Church tradition says Nathanael carried a translation of Matthew’s Gospel to northern India and he was crucified upside down in Albania. The skeptic became a missionary and martyr because he had one friend who cared about him.
Good friends take us to the right places, introduce us to the right people and change our earthly perceptions to eternal perspectives.
Good companions build eternal perspectives:
1. Place: Good friends invite us to places that are safe and peaceable. The places that our friends invite us will determine if they mean well or evil. A good friend will never lure us to engage in anything or involve in entertainment that would enmesh us into trouble. Where are your friends inviting you? Nathaniel had a good friend who took him to Jesus.
2. People: Tell me your friend and I’ll tell you who you are? The connections we have will aid us in our choices and our choices lead us to our destiny. Allowing the wrong company to feed our views will corrupt our perspectives. Listening to the wrong people could make us pessimistic, toxic or claustrophobic. Bad company will make us lose the focus on our goals and will derail us from our vision. Philip introduced Nathaniel to Jesus.
3. Perspective: Friends have a direct and indirect influence on our perspective. No matter how strong and how clear we are about our beliefs and values, friends have an indomitable influence on our perspective. The people who have access to our ears can maneuver and manipulate our mind. So, be careful who you listen to. Nathaniel heard the voice of the Saviour as he had one good friend who took him to Jesus.
Good friends take us to the right places, introduce us to the right people and influence our perspective positively.
Proverbs 27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, give me the spirit of discernment to discern the people in my inner circle and help me to be in the company of good friends. Amen
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