Second Friend Day - Elmer Towns

was a lonely man. He put his priority on his business, rather than on the life that God had
given him to live.
Where weak people hide, friends are open, which is a basis for growth. Friends
recognize our weaknesses and help us strengthen them. A friend will never take
advantage of the other person. "A friend loveth at all times" (Proverbs 17:17).
5. A Christian with friends is durable. The person without friends usually
has not learned to get along with others. They have to be treated specially. FRIENDS
ARE ALLWEATHER LUGGAGE. They wear well and do not have to be handled with
kid gloves. Diplomacy is the language of strangers, whereas honesty is the language of
friends.
6. A Christian with friends understands people. The person without friends
thinks that everyone is the same and everyone relates to people in the same way. He
thinks everyone is a rat, and everyone is out to get him. Or he thinks everyone is as nice
as Alice in Wonderland. He has never learned that people have their good days and their
bad ones. He has never learned that people, like batteries, have two poles. They have a
sinful nature, but they can have a new nature. FRIENDS ARE TOLERANT. A good
friend will trust the differences in the other person because he knows their strengths.
Because of this, he does not expect his friend to respond as he does to circumstances,
events, and others. Job said, "One should be kind to a thinking friend" (Job 6:14 LB).
7. A Christian with friends is a good listener. Have you ever met someone
who does all the talking and never takes time to listen to you? That means he probably
does not have a friend anywhere with whom he communicates. FRIENDSHIP IS A
TWO-WAY STREET. We must give when talking with friends. We talk for a while,
and then we listen. This is not a technique for conversation. We listen because we are
interested in our friend.
All of us need a friend to whom we can go in any situation, a friend to whom we
can talk about winning and just be ourselves in our moment of victory. A true friend
accepts our boasting without belittling or envying our success. They do not play oneupmanship,
but rejoice with us, listen to our "bragging," understand the truth, and remain
our friend. "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly" (Proverbs 18:24).
8. A Christian with friends is sensitive. Every once in a while we meet
people who are hardened and crusty. They do not listen, they do not care, and they never
help anyone else. They live in a shell. FRIENDS ARE SENSITIVE. A true friendship
is a give-and-take relationship. We become sensitive to the other person, as they become
sensitive to us.
Friendship cannot be forced; it must be received. Therefore, we must be sensitive
to receive what is given to us, as the other person takes what we give. We can "fall into
love" but we cannot "fall into friendship." There is no "friendship at first sight," even
though there is "love at first sight."
Friendship comes slowly; enemies happen suddenly. A broken dream, or the
sudden realization of a lie will make enemies out of friends. However, just telling the
truth to a person will not suddenly make them a friend. Friendship is a shared experience
that is developed over a period of time. And here is how to measure it. The greatest love
is shown when a person "lays down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 LB).