Closer than a brother

We invite you to take a peek inside our weekly Light for the Way devotional series provided for staff.

By Campus Pastor Justin Lundberg, Highland Ridge

“A person of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” —Proverbs 18:24, NASB
 
Let’s pause to understand the message the author wants to teach. We might ask, “How can too many friends be a bad thing?”
 
If we think about our friendships, we know a lot of people who we may call a friend, but we do not know them very well. A culture fixated on social media greatly expands this group of casual ‘friends’ or ‘followers.’ People regularly battle loneliness despite having many of these friends.
 
The second half of the verse talks about a second group of friends, the kind that stick closer than a brother. An example is found in 1 Samuel between an unlikely pair, Jonathan and David. Jonathan is the son of King Saul. David is God’s appointed heir to the throne and whom Saul seeks to kill. 1 Samuel 18:1 reads, “Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.” These two friends experienced many hardships, yet they were faithful to one another and served one another at great cost.
 
The supreme example of a friend who sticks closer than a brother is Jesus. Luke 7:34 says Jesus was “a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” John 15:14 describes the cost Jesus was willing to pay for sinners: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
 
There are two ways to reflect on and apply today’s lesson: (1) Are you experiencing the benefits of a friendship with Jesus? (2) Are you willing to invest yourself in another’s life that you become a friend that is closer than a brother or sister?

The Light for the Way series provides staff with an examination of a biblical reading to deepen our focus on scripture. Thank you for engaging with this series as we seek wisdom through prayer and reflection as a Christian Ministry.

Find more in the Light for the Way series: