A Loyal Friend

Choose to be loyal–not a fair-weather friend. I’m sure you know exactly what that means. It’s a so-called friend who bails on you as soon as something bad happens. They are great friends as long as nothing gets complicated or sticky. Usually this type of friendship is one-way. As long as you do things their way or agree with them, everything is fine. But the minute you speak up or cross them or try being your own person, that “friend” fades away into the night.

Being loyal means being supportive, being ready to assist and encourage. That’s why loyalty is so essential in any friendship. In the Bible, David and Jonathan’s friendship was characterized by a solid loyalty even in the midst of adversity. They loved and encouraged each other in the Lord. They stood together through tough times like a set of identical stone bookends. They met as young men and warriors, and our last glimpse of their faithful friendship is of David mourning Jonathan’s death. Theirs was a to-the-end-no-matter-what friendship. You can read about their friendship in 1 Samuel 20:14-17.

How does your loyalty rate as a friend? Are you “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24)? Loyalty in others starts with you being loyal.

Read A Loyal Friend on Elizabeth & Jim George.