As I sit in the corral gate of the Phoenix airport, I hear a child calling to its mother and turn, expecting to see my dear friend’s daughter…but of course, I left her at her house, sleeping. Last night, introducing my dear, now-35-year-old friend, whom I met when she was a 15 – yr-old babysitter, grew into a ‘daughter,’ and then evolved into a true friend, I realized how truly precious it is to have friendships that span almost a lifetime. What a gift. So, as we are close to boarding, I offer some Charles Spurgeon quotes on friendships. Spend some time today thanking God for your friends and asking God to make you a better friend.
“The vanity of all friendship which is not found in true principle, was never more
plainly expressed than in an honest, but heartless, sentence of one of Horace
Walpole’s letters. “If one of my friends happens to die, I drive down to St. Jame’s
Coffee-house, and bring home a new one.” The name of “friend” is desecrated in a
worldling’s mouth—but there is a friend. FA85
A friend to everybody is often a friend to nobody. PT34
If we would always recollect that we live among men who are imperfect, we should
not be in such a fever when we find out our friend’s failings. PT66
Anger against enemies must not make us forget our friends, for it is better to
preserve a single citizen of Zion, than to kill a thousand enemies. TD70:4
One heart in two bodies is the realization of true brotherhood. TN123
The friendship of bare compliment is the fashion of this age, because this age is the
age of deceit. 120.109
We are one in Christ; let us be friends with one another; but let us never be friends
with one another’s error. If I be wrong, rebuke me sternly; I can bear it, and bear it
cheerfully; and if ye be wrong, expect the like measure from me, and neither peace
nor parley with your mistakes. 250.204
And first let us learn to set loose by our dearest friends that we have on earth. Let us
love them—love them we may, love them we should—but let us always learn to love
them as dying things. 349.10
There is one thing about the usefulness of which all men are agreed, namely,
friendship; but most men are soon aware that counterfeits of friendship are common
as autumn leaves. 899.613
Lip-love, proverbially, is a thing to be questioned; too often it is a counterfeit. Love
which speaks can use hyperbolical expressions at its will, but when you have heard
all you can hear of love’s speech, you are not sure that it is love; for all are not
hunters that blow the horn, and all are not friends who cry up friendship. 1128.470
Men in going through the world make many acquaintances, but out of these they
have few special objects of esteem, whom they call friends. If they think to have
many friends, they are, probably, misusing the name. 2091.339
Any man can selfishly desire to have a Jonathan; but he is on the right track who
desires to find out a David to whom he can be a Jonathan. 2336.567″
