The Rose of Friendship

A yellow rose represents friendship, joy, and caring. A bouquet of these sun-filled blossoms conveys warmth, gladness, and affection. Every red rose needs a yellow rose in their life. We all need one person to call friend. That one person that we can tell everything to. The one person that is there for us in the good times and bad. The one we can go to for advice when we don't seem to know what to do. Jesus Christ tells us in the bible we need a friend like this. Now how are we to know the qualities of a genuine yellow rose? C.S. Lewis once said, "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are." How do you define wise? Wise in the bible is knowing the Word and living by it. A genuine yellow rose is blossoming in the Lord. They love Jesus Christ and they live their life, not perfectly (since no one is perfect), but based upon the Word of God. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Choose a WISE friend. Why is it important to have a wise friend? Why is it important to have close friendships even though we already have God? "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Just as bad company corrupts good morals, good company increases good morals. (1 Corinthians 15:33). When you are around a person who is a follower of Jesus, it ends up influencing you. Those sort of people help you blossom at an even faster rate! An example of such a loving and blossoming friendship can be found in Ruth and Naomi. "Ruth said [to Naomi], “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17). You know you have a true friend when they stick by you no matter what! That is a true yellow rose! The question is: are you that friend? Are you that yellow rose to someone else? If not, find someone! Friendship is vital in the Christian life! So go let your sun-filled blossom shine!