The Weekly Word: Good friends

By Robert Williams, Lead Pastor at The Bridge Church

So many of my biggest regrets in life involve hanging out with the wrong people. And I’m pretty sure that you would say the same thing in your life.

There was a reason that Mom and Dad didn’t want you hanging out with certain kids growing up. It was because they knew that bad company usually equated to bad decisions. The problem is that so many of us forgot that when we left home.

In the Bible we read a story about a man named David. David was easily, the most popular and well-known king in the Bible outside of Jesus (the King of Kings).

David was passionate about honoring God in everything. He is probably the best model of worship we have in the Scripture, and he did everything he could to lead the Kingdom of Israel well.

Even before David became king, he was a great man. So great, in fact, that the people began to doubt their first King, Saul.

There are really two stories that David is known the most for in the Bible, though. The most well-known story is the story of David and Goliath, while the other story is of David and Bathsheba, and the dichotomy couldn’t be further apart.

In one story, David is the courageous hero, while in the other story he is a murderous adulterer. It’s amazing how hard even the greatest of humans can fall, isn’t it?

What I find interesting, though, is how David thrived for so long after defeating Goliath, and what I’ve come to find out is that David had good company.

Not long after defeating Goliath, David would not only be welcomed into high authority within Saul’s army, but he would also form a bond with a man that would eventually be his dearest of friends, Jonathon. David would become so close to Jonathon, in fact, that he would be form a covenant relationship with him.

I’ve always thought that Jonathon helped David to be a better man. Jonathon was good for David. He pushed him to be a great warrior and even better servant of the king. The reason I believe that is because when David fell, when he had an affair and fell from God’s grace, Jonathon was gone. He had been killed in war not long before.

So, what about you? Who in your life pushes you to be better? Do you find yourself living a life of joy or regrets? Are you growing or are you dying?

A lot of that might have to do with the environments and people with which you are surrounding yourself.

Consider this: Even David, the greatest king in all of the Old Testament, needed good friends.