This is a PDF / email going around to active JWs. What are your thoughts?
A true friend shows love at all times and is a brother who is born for times of distress. —Prov. 17:17.
It is because we worship Jehovah, the true God, we have the best friends that we could have in this world! Friends, as Jesus said, are like fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. We have witnessed this truth. During disasters, during tragedies, and even during day-to-day life, our dear brothers are true friends in times of distress.
For example, in his life story; “Jehovah Is My Refuge and Strength” Br. Marcel Filteau mentioned the lesson he learned when he was in prison with Br. Mike Miller: “We sat on the cement floor and talked. Our upbuilding spiritual conversation strengthened me immensely. The time spent with this dear brother in jail taught me one of the most beautiful lessons of my life—we need our brothers and should therefore be forgiving and kind to one another. - Watchtower, 2/1/2000, page 25.
Isn’t that the truth!?
During the times of distress ahead of us, the great tribulation, really our brothers and sisters will be our only friends in the world and we will appreciate their friendship more than ever!
But this precious friendship that we have with our brothers and sisters, needs to be maintained. It can be damaged. Br. Filteau, after saying what we just quoted, reflected on the words of Paul to the brothers in Galatia.
(Galatians 5:15) If, though, you keep on biting and devouring one another, look out that you do not get annihilated by one another.
Sad, isn’t it? But it was happening. Among the brothers.
It is obvious then that we need to guard our friendships, maintain them. It is very precious. How can we avoid doing what Galatians described? Well, do what our text for today says. Our text has a key point, it says: “love at all times” … and that is the key. Not easy at times.
Love will help us to deal with the realities that friendship brings along. Let us consider two of these realities.
1. Imperfection
(James 3:2) For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle also his whole body.
Well, we are no perfect men or women. But this shows that we cannot expect perfection from our friendships. We have to recognize that friendships do not eliminate imperfections or personal feelings or preferences, opinions.
This shows that disagreements with our Christian friends could come up. Have you experienced this reality of life? This can be the case among brothers who have been a long time in the truth. Remember Paul and Barnabas?
Now, what to do? Well, showing “love at all times” will help us give room for the feelings of others. It will stop us from making a misunderstanding a big thing in life and it becomes a problem because we feel it is impossible to forgive or something like that.
Love is kind. Love moves us to forgive. Love bears all things. Jesus is one of the best examples that we have.
(John 13:1) Jesus, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end.
Love them to the end. He was a friend of those disciples. Loved them all the time. Who were these men? Well, these were men with different personalities, who disappointed Jesus many times. They all had made their own mistakes. They had idiosyncrasies and personal opinions too! Two of them wanted to call down fire from heaven!
But, loving our brothers “at all times”, will help us cope with the imperfections because love, is “a perfect bond of union.”
It is not easy at times, but it will help us to preserve our friendships. It will motivate us to pursue things that are making for peace and things that build up one another.
2. Giving Correction to Friends
(Psalm 141:5) Should the righteous one strike me, it would be an act of loyal love; Should he reprove me, it would be like oil on my head, Which my head would never refuse. My prayer will continue even during their calamities.
Who is going to do that? A real friend that loves at all times. Because with friendships also comes the need – at times, to give counsel. Easy to do?
Not really.
Have you ever felt at times: “Should I say something to him? Or should I bring this up to her? You hesitate. Why? Because it is not always easy.
• But a friend that loves at all times, will not be afraid to give counsel when his friend is heading down a dangerous path.
Remember, Paul and Peter. Abigail and David. Jesus and John, who wanted to sit next to Jesus in the kingdom. This also applies to the family circle and what we have been studying in the Watchtower lately.
1 Samuel chapter 2 shows that Eli failed to correct his sons, with disastrous consequences. He was really not a friend to his sons. Sad. But, it did happen.
So, living in the loveless world that we have, our brothers really are a treasure. It is good to keep those friendships, despite those imperfections. They are true friends in times of distress who display beautiful qualities and they live by praiseworthy standards.
Just recently, we received this experience that shows the truth of and the value of our dear brothers and sisters. This is what it said:
“A widow pioneer sister was attending her congregation meeting through Zoom during one of the worst nights of the winter storm in Texas. During the meeting, she called out “Brothers my house is flooding! What do I do!?”
Can you imagine receiving a phone call like that? The experience continues: “Minutes later two elders and a ministerial servant navigated treacherous icy roads to get to the sisters’ home. They helped cut off the water, vacuum the water out of her home, and re-arrange the furniture for her. The next morning, the brothers arrived with plumbing supplies and repaired her broken pipes.”
Isn’t that beautiful! This is our brothers and sisters! Worth preserving our friendship with each other.
So, may we continue to follow the words of the apostle Paul who wrote the words to the Thessalonians, and go on loving our brothers to a fuller extent.
(1 Thessalonians 4:10) - But we urge you, brothers, to go on doing so in
fuller measure.
In this way, we will always be true friends to each other in times of distress.
A true friend shows love at all times and is a brother who is born for times of distress. —Prov. 17:17.
It is because we worship Jehovah, the true God, we have the best friends that we could have in this world! Friends, as Jesus said, are like fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. We have witnessed this truth. During disasters, during tragedies, and even during day-to-day life, our dear brothers are true friends in times of distress.
For example, in his life story; “Jehovah Is My Refuge and Strength” Br. Marcel Filteau mentioned the lesson he learned when he was in prison with Br. Mike Miller: “We sat on the cement floor and talked. Our upbuilding spiritual conversation strengthened me immensely. The time spent with this dear brother in jail taught me one of the most beautiful lessons of my life—we need our brothers and should therefore be forgiving and kind to one another. - Watchtower, 2/1/2000, page 25.
Isn’t that the truth!?
During the times of distress ahead of us, the great tribulation, really our brothers and sisters will be our only friends in the world and we will appreciate their friendship more than ever!
But this precious friendship that we have with our brothers and sisters, needs to be maintained. It can be damaged. Br. Filteau, after saying what we just quoted, reflected on the words of Paul to the brothers in Galatia.
(Galatians 5:15) If, though, you keep on biting and devouring one another, look out that you do not get annihilated by one another.
Sad, isn’t it? But it was happening. Among the brothers.
It is obvious then that we need to guard our friendships, maintain them. It is very precious. How can we avoid doing what Galatians described? Well, do what our text for today says. Our text has a key point, it says: “love at all times” … and that is the key. Not easy at times.
Love will help us to deal with the realities that friendship brings along. Let us consider two of these realities.
1. Imperfection
(James 3:2) For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle also his whole body.
Well, we are no perfect men or women. But this shows that we cannot expect perfection from our friendships. We have to recognize that friendships do not eliminate imperfections or personal feelings or preferences, opinions.
This shows that disagreements with our Christian friends could come up. Have you experienced this reality of life? This can be the case among brothers who have been a long time in the truth. Remember Paul and Barnabas?
Now, what to do? Well, showing “love at all times” will help us give room for the feelings of others. It will stop us from making a misunderstanding a big thing in life and it becomes a problem because we feel it is impossible to forgive or something like that.
Love is kind. Love moves us to forgive. Love bears all things. Jesus is one of the best examples that we have.
(John 13:1) Jesus, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end.
Love them to the end. He was a friend of those disciples. Loved them all the time. Who were these men? Well, these were men with different personalities, who disappointed Jesus many times. They all had made their own mistakes. They had idiosyncrasies and personal opinions too! Two of them wanted to call down fire from heaven!
But, loving our brothers “at all times”, will help us cope with the imperfections because love, is “a perfect bond of union.”
It is not easy at times, but it will help us to preserve our friendships. It will motivate us to pursue things that are making for peace and things that build up one another.
2. Giving Correction to Friends
(Psalm 141:5) Should the righteous one strike me, it would be an act of loyal love; Should he reprove me, it would be like oil on my head, Which my head would never refuse. My prayer will continue even during their calamities.
Who is going to do that? A real friend that loves at all times. Because with friendships also comes the need – at times, to give counsel. Easy to do?
Not really.
Have you ever felt at times: “Should I say something to him? Or should I bring this up to her? You hesitate. Why? Because it is not always easy.
• But a friend that loves at all times, will not be afraid to give counsel when his friend is heading down a dangerous path.
Remember, Paul and Peter. Abigail and David. Jesus and John, who wanted to sit next to Jesus in the kingdom. This also applies to the family circle and what we have been studying in the Watchtower lately.
1 Samuel chapter 2 shows that Eli failed to correct his sons, with disastrous consequences. He was really not a friend to his sons. Sad. But, it did happen.
So, living in the loveless world that we have, our brothers really are a treasure. It is good to keep those friendships, despite those imperfections. They are true friends in times of distress who display beautiful qualities and they live by praiseworthy standards.
Just recently, we received this experience that shows the truth of and the value of our dear brothers and sisters. This is what it said:
“A widow pioneer sister was attending her congregation meeting through Zoom during one of the worst nights of the winter storm in Texas. During the meeting, she called out “Brothers my house is flooding! What do I do!?”
Can you imagine receiving a phone call like that? The experience continues: “Minutes later two elders and a ministerial servant navigated treacherous icy roads to get to the sisters’ home. They helped cut off the water, vacuum the water out of her home, and re-arrange the furniture for her. The next morning, the brothers arrived with plumbing supplies and repaired her broken pipes.”
Isn’t that beautiful! This is our brothers and sisters! Worth preserving our friendship with each other.
So, may we continue to follow the words of the apostle Paul who wrote the words to the Thessalonians, and go on loving our brothers to a fuller extent.
(1 Thessalonians 4:10) - But we urge you, brothers, to go on doing so in
fuller measure.
In this way, we will always be true friends to each other in times of distress.