TLIC FAMILY. PROVERBS. JULY 15: ALL TIMES.

THINK TOGETHER.

Who are your best friends? Who are your brothers and sisters?

READ TOGETHER

Proverbs 17:17. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Solomon continues his theme of friendship. Good friends love no matter what. They love you at all times. When things get tough you find out who your real fiends are. Do you have any friends like this?

Do you also have brothers or sisters? Solomon says that a brother is born for adversity. Sometimes our brothers and sisters aren’t our best friends and that’s OK. Maybe we don’t spend our times with them like we might a good friend. But siblings have a love that even friends don’t sometimes. Love that sticks around even in adversity. In fact, Solomon says that’s why siblings are born, to be there for each other in times of the worst trouble.

Brothers and sisters share a special bond that others often can’t understand. Growing up in the same family means you share the same family trials such as a loved one passing away or parents getting divorced. It’s sad when brothers and sisters drift apart, or fight with each other, and aren’t there for each other in the hard times.

Jesus is both our good friend and our brother. When Jesus left Heaven to come to Earth as a person, he showed us that he was willing to love us at all times, no matter what. Jesus is our human brother that was literally born for adversity. He was born so that he could die on the cross for our sins. Now even if your friends or family fail you, you can know that Jesus never will. And when you know that Jesus will never fail you, then you can be a good friend and sibling too, just like him.

Because of Jesus we always have a friend and a brother.

With Jesus we can be a good friend and good sibling too.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

What great “friendship” stories do you know? (David and Jonathan, Buzz and Woody, Lilo and Stitch) In what ways were the friends there for each other?

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, you are my best friend and my good big brother. Thank you for always being there for me no matter what. Amen.