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The Value of a Friend
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

 

Social media has changed our definition of relationships. Today, relationships are both in-person and virtual. The danger of virtual relationships is that we end up with a lot of “followers” on our accounts. We often follow “influencers” who have thousands of “followers”. While we multiply contacts on our virtual accounts as they recommend “friends of friends,” our relationships become thin and fragile.

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The writer of Ecclesiastes suggests that “two are better than one” and describes what he means by friendship. A friend is someone who will work on a project with you, something like the traditional Amish “barn raising.” This is not just a Pennsylvania Dutch custom, though they preserved it. Our church building was built in three days thanks to people working together!

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A friend is also someone who helps you up when you fall, someone who comes to your aid. On a more intimate level, a friend may be someone who keeps you warm on a cold night! Or someone who fights your enemies alongside you, shoulder to shoulder. A friend is someone you can count on in both good times and bad times.

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How do we cultivate friends like this? We need to be present. Be available. Be the friend we would like to have, the person who will have our friends’ backs. We need to be the friend who is there when our friends are in need, to celebrate life’s victories with them and stand with them in the hard times that we all face in life.

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It takes time, shared experiences, and effort to make friends like this. It’s worth it! Joys multiply, and our burdens become lighter when they’re shared. Together, we lift each other up.

__________

 

Pray

Lord, help me be the friend to others that I would like to have.

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__________

 

 

Listen and Follow the Lyrics

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Two Are Better Than One, by Veliko Lee Bekir.

 

 

Two Are Better Than One

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A thousand friends upon a screen

A hundred faces we've never seen

We share our pictures, share our days

But friendship means much more than praise

 

When life gets hard and skies turn gray

Who will help us find our way?

Not just a name, not just a call

But someone there to catch our fall

 

Two are better than one

When the road is long, when the day is done

When one falls down, the other stands

And lifts them up with helping hands

 

Through joy and sorrow, rain or sun

We walk together, not alone

With God beside us, we are strong

Two are better than one

 

A friend will stand beside your door

And help you build a little more

Will share your laughter, share your tears

And walk beside you through the years

 

When burdens grow too much to bear

A faithful friend is always there

Not just in words, but what we do

A heart that says, "I'm here for you"

 

Two are better than one

When the road is long, when the day is done

When one falls down, the other stands

And lifts them up with helping hands

 

Through joy and sorrow, rain or sun

We walk together, not alone

With God beside us, we are strong

Two are better than one

 

A cord of three is hard to break

Through every storm, through every ache

With you and me and God above

We're held together by His love

 

Two are better than one

When the road is long, when the day is done

When one falls down, the other stands

And lifts them up with helping hands

 

Through joy and sorrow, rain or sun

We walk together, not alone

With God beside us, we are strong

Two are better than one

 

Be the friend you'd want to find

With open arms and a loving mind

Together, Lord, we carry on,

Two are better than one