Welcome to Day 17 of our 40-day countdown to Easter 2019! Wounds from a friend, are better than kisses from an enemy (Proverbs 27:6).” To find out whether a person is truly a friend, ask yourself this question. "Am I a better person when I am in their presence?

Adrian Rogers said, “A friend, is someone who multiplies your joys, and divides your griefs. A false friend will wear you down. A true friend, will sharpen you up.”

A true friend will correct you without telling the world.

A true friend, will not condone you when you do wrong. A true friend will confront you that he might change you to take the rough edges off. A true friend does not change you in order to love you. He loves you in order to change you. God loves us enough to change us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).”

Jesus loves us enough to call us friends.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15).”

You may feel as though you don't have a friend in the world, but as a child of God, you have a friend. You are not alone.

LET'S PRAY ALOUD

Heavenly Father, your love is so amazing. Thank you for multiplying my joys and dividing my griefs. Thank you for building me up. Thank you for making me sharper. I desire to grow closer to you, to learn more from you, and to reflect your image when I encounter others. I am a friend of God, in the name of Jesus, amen.

~inspiring hope & seasoning faith, Dr. Regina Daigre