01/04/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: "True friendship is rare, but an unfailing Friend is even rarer. Have you ever wondered what makes a friendship last? Is it loyalty, shared memories, or something deeper? Jeremy Taylor once wrote that a good friend is chosen wisely, held onto dearly, and only lost when they cease to be what they once were. But what if there was a Friend who never changes, never fails, and never forsakes? Discover the beauty of true friendshipโand the One Friend who remains forever faithful."
๐๐๐๐: In a world where friendships can be fleeting and trust often broken, the longing for a true and steadfast friend remains universal. Jeremy Taylorโs timeless words remind us that friendship is more than mere companionshipโit is a sacred bond, chosen with care and nurtured through virtue.
But even the strongest human friendships have limits. What if there was a Friend whose loyalty never wavers, whose love never diminishes, and whose presence never fades?
Letโs explore the profound meaning of true friendship and how Christ Jesus embodies the ultimate, never-failing Friend.
๐
๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ: ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ-๐๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ
Jeremy Taylorโs insights on friendship highlight the nature of a true and lasting bondโone that is rooted in virtue, chosen wisely, and sustained through faithfulness. He emphasizes that a good friend is someone carefully selected, retained for a long time, and never parted from unless they cease to be who they were meant to be. ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด.
โญ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ: ๐๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฑ๐ข ๐๐ซ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ-๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐ก
Unlike human friendships, which may falter due to changing circumstances or personal failings, ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ด. Examining Taylorโs principles in light of Christโs friendship deepens our understanding of what true, unwavering companionship means.
(a.) ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฏ๐
Just as Taylor states that โA good man is the best friend,โ Jesus is the embodiment of perfect goodness and love.
He laid down His life for His friends (John 15:13), demonstrating the highest form of selfless love.
His friendship is not based on convenience or temporary interest but on an eternal commitment to those who follow Him.
(b.) ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ
Taylor speaks of a good friend being โsoonest to be chosen.โ Christ Himself chooses His friends, saying, โYou did not choose Me, but I chose youโ (John 15:16).
Unlike human friendships, which can be selective or conditional, Christ extends His friendship to all who believe in Him.
His invitation to friendship is open, yet it comes with the call to abide in Him and follow His teachings.
(c.) ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฆ
Taylor asserts that a true friend should never be parted from unless they cease to be what they were.
However, Christโs friendship is even greaterโHe never forsakes those who come to Him.
In Hebrews 13:5, He promises, โI will never leave you nor forsake you.โ
Even when we fail, He remains faithful, always ready to restore and redeem.
(d.) ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐
A key idea in Taylorโs quote is that friendship endures unless one ceases to be what they were when chosen.
In contrast, Christโs friendship is not merely about acceptance but transformationโHe loves us as we are, but He does not leave us as we are.
He calls us to holiness (1 Peter 1:16) and disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6), ensuring that our friendship with Him is one that leads to growth, not stagnation.
(e.) ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ
Just as Christ models perfect friendship, we should reflect His character in our own friendships.
We should be friends who are faithful, morally upright, and willing to guide one another toward truth rather than mere emotional support.
True friendship is not just about being there for someoneโit is about holding each other accountable to goodness and virtue, just as Christ does for us.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐น๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐พ๐๐๐น๐๐ฝ๐พ๐
๐ป๐พ๐๐น๐ ๐พ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐ป๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐-๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ โฑ๐๐พ๐๐๐น.
๐ฒ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐๐พ๐๐๐น๐๐ฝ๐พ๐
๐ ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐, ๐๐ฝ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐พ๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐, ๐๐๐พ๐น๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ฝ, ๐ถ๐๐น ๐๐พ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
โ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐
๐๐ ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ท๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐พ๐๐๐น๐โ๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐๐ฝ๐ป๐๐, ๐๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ถ๐๐น ๐ธ๐๐๐๐พ๐๐๐๐น ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฝโ๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐พ๐๐๐น๐๐ฝ๐พ๐
๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐ถ๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐พ๐๐๐ป๐๐.
