Choose Wisely

****Worship Wednesday is brought to you by fellow-blogger and beloved sister, PT2006. Be sure to visit her over at her place today.

There is a children's song about the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man built upon the rock and the storms could not destroy his house. The foolish man built his house on the sand and the floods swept it away. This little tune comes directly from Matthew 7: 24- 29. A very simple illustration of a spiritual truth. Our lives must be built on the Rock Christ Jesus if we are going to stand the tests of this life.

While we weather the storms it is helpful to have faithful friends to lean on. We need to choose our companions wisely. We need to choose those who have built their houses upon the Rock. The New Living Translation of Proverbs 17:17 says;" a friend is always loyal and a brother is born to help in time of need." Surely the scriptures speak of godly friends and brothers.

One example of an extraordinary friendship is that of Jonathan and David. Tradition dictated Jonathan as Saul's successor, but God chose David to take the throne. Jonathan was reared in the palace, David in the countryside. The Prince had all that life could offer including servants of every sort. The shepherd boy knew only the life of a servant. So many differences, yet they were bound by an unshakable love. I Samuel 18:1 speaks of them being knit together. Again in chapter 20 of I Samuel, Jonathan vowed to do whatever David asked of him, and David declared his loyalty to all of the descendants of his friend.

Their bond was not without tests. King Saul's jealousy of David lead to attempted murder on more than one occasion. It was Jonathan that thwarted at least one of those attempts. He had chosen in David, a friend that was upright, true, and one that honored God. His love for his friend outweighed his loyalty to his father.

The test of David's loyalty came at a time when he was being chased by Saul and his army. It was in a cave encampment that Saul lay sleeping. David had opportunity to kill Saul, yet he chose instead to cut off the corner of Saul's robe. In sparing Saul's life, David not only honored his vow to Jonathan, he honored God. Much later, he spared the life of Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth. On top of that, King David allowed him to live in the palace and cared for him for the rest of his days.

Though extremely abbreviated, this account of soul-mates shows the importance of choosing our friends wisely. There can be no better friend than Jesus Himself. We will not be disappointed when we lean on friends who have built their lives upon the Rock.