A Friend Is One Who...

...follows through with what he or she says

...understands and inspires

...sacrifices for the other

...invests in another

...joyfully gives and serves

...respects and honours

...is courteous

...builds character

...loves at all times

...challenges growth and maturity

...tells the truth and restores dignity

...keeps a promise

...shares dreams

...keeps in touch foerver

...is forgiving

Just want to share with you my devotion and my thoughts as I read through about building strong relationships...

"Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him go home to this father's house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt." - 1 Samuel 18:1-4 (NKJV)

How can we build a solid relationship with our friends? There are 5 steps to building a strong and solid relationship with the people around you. They are :-

- Respect

- Shared Experiences

- Trust

- Reciprocity

- Mutual Enjoyment

Respect, when it comes to relationships, everything begins with respect, with the desire to place value on other people. The thing about respect is that you should show it to others, even before they have done anything to deserve it but at the same time you should earn his or her respect as well.

A tip for guys, if you want your woman to love you, "Love a woman till she respects you". Love her in your work, your ministry, your hobbies, etc.. so that she will see a respectable man in you. A woman can easily love you, but to make it last, is if she respects you. (Thanks Paul for this profound statement!).

In 1 Samuel 18:1b (NKJV), it says "and Jonathan loved him as his own soul". In Hebrew, the word "loved" is "ahab" which is translated to as "act of being a friend".

Shared Experiences, respect can lay the foundation for a good relationship but it alone is not enough. You can't be relational with someone you don't know. It requires shared experiences over time.

"And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt." - 1 Samuel 18:4 (NKJV)

Trust, when you respect people and you spend enough time with them to develop shared experiences, you are in a position to develop trust. Trust is essential to all good relationships. Without trust, you cannot sustain any kind of relationship.

"Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul." - 1 Samuel 18:3 (NKJV)

Reciprocity, one-sided personal relationships don't last. If one person is always the giver and the other is always the receiver, then the relationship will eventually disintegrate. There has to be give-and-take so that everyone benefits as well as gives. Show others how you care for them. An act of kindness always touches the heart especially when in hardship.

"So Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you." - 1 Samuel 20:4 (NKJV)

Mutual Enjoyment, when relationships grow and starts to get solid, the people involved begin to enjoy each other. Just being together can turn even unpleasant tasks into positive experiences.

"I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women" - 2 Samuel 1:22 (NKJV).

As yourself these questions :-

- How have I been treating my friends around me?

- Have I been spending time and conciously building solid relationships?

- What can I do to improve?