Wednesday, December 02, 2015

Everyone desires a good friend. But a good friend is hard to come by. Jonathan, David’s friend, was the kind of friend everyone needs. To show you what I found in the Bible regarding their friendship I would like to suggest we do a biographical study of Jonathan’s life. To do that use the following steps, what I call the three C’s approach: collect, correlate, and crystallize. First, you need to collect all the information you can find in the Bible about his life, then correlate that information into an outline, and finally crystallize it into some practical applications. The information about Jonathan can be found in 1 Samuel chapter 13 through 2 Samuel 1. In these chapters you will find that Jonathan was a brave and effective warrior. He could discern character in another, and when he found a man of character he would support him, even if it cost him something regarding his own position and privilege. He was loyal to his father, but uncompromising regarding what was right. When he gave his word you could count on it. When he recognized the call of God on another’s life he was willing to support him even if it meant setting aside what otherwise would have been his. He was humble and had a servant heart. Just collecting the information and writing it down before you makes an impact on your life and helps you understand the kind of life desired in a true friend.