From Another Mother

Proverbs 18:24

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Its the guy/girl that keeps you at your best. Like metal against metal, they keep you sharp. Everyone needs one. I'm not necessarily talking about a best friend, because if you're like me you probably have multiple friends of equal rank... But everyone needs to have that one friend that acts as both an accountability and a whetstone (stone used to sharpen cutting tools).

Now if you look at the "best friend" of today you'll notice some things....

1. They're usually referred to as sibling (brother from another mother).
2. Sometimes they have cool nicknames like Wingman (me and my little brother use that one).
3. And it's someone who can drop what they're doing to help you (or hurt  you if needed).

Now when you compare this to the spiritual friend I speak of, they're quite similar. The only difference is this.

1. They need to help strengthen your walk with Christ.

And heres where the verse comes in... In troubling times, people may desert us. But your wingman, gal pal, bro, chica, foil, best "fran" etc. will always be by your side. They are there to bring you up. 

But this friend also has the responsibility of beating the snot out of you (maybe just "a stern talking to" would do?) whenever you fall into something stupid... over, and over again.

One major rule of THE FRIEND is this. Make sure you have someone who will not bring you down. 

Proverbs has like a bazillion verses concerning the company you keep (I think Solomon's favorite word was folly). You must ascertain yourself in this: This person loves Jesus, and will do nothing to hinder your relationship with Him.

If you don't have an accountability or spiritual friend, you need one. Some people have a whole group of these friends and thats great! But if your lacking in skills of friend tracking, pray. Thats what I did. You can surround yourself with countless friends. But you need at least one who understands you, and can keep you on track. 

So enjoy the rest of your super fast (and really rainy) weekend.

Your friend,

Blake J.