A real friend hangs in there when times are tough.  I’ve learned that deep trials often reveal the depth of the friendships surrounding you. One the one hand, you’ll find some standing right there with you through it all. Unfortunately on the other hand, you’ll watch people bail on you, walk away, and some may even use your difficulty to enrich themselves and make life harder for you.  Not everyone is a true friend, but you can chose to be one, today. We as the Body of Christ need to stand up with each other, stand strong for each other, and help bear one another’s burdens. Be a true friend.

On their way to a typical day of prayer at the Temple, Peter and John have their lives gloriously interrupted by God. Unlike any other time headed to prayer, this time they pause at the beggar there by the gate and God uses Peter to bring wholeness and healing into his life! They didn’t have the money he was requesting, but they did have the Lord! Immediately he was healed.

Of course this infuriated the religious elite. Not only was this familiar beggar healed, but many thousands hear the word of the gospel and are saved. The religious rulers are once again threatened by the popularity of God the presence of God.

Part of their response to the work of God in Peter and John was to arrest ‘set them in the midst’, or a form of arrest and interrogation. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches the truth to them reminding them of the crucifixion, resurrection, and powerful name of Jesus. However rather than respond with softened hearts, they threaten Peter and John a couple of times and release them.

Now, imagine the scene for a moment. Peter and John and the man that was healed standing in the midst of a semi-circle of the Sanhedrin, the religious ‘supreme court’ of the day.  It’s a very intimidating situation where your life, physically and literally, is on the line. After what was done to Jesus, who knows how they will respond to this.

If we read through Acts 4 too quickly, we may miss the man who was healed standing with Peter and John in their hour of trouble. He didn’t have to. He wasn’t commanded to. He had done nothing wrong at all. But there he is, standing with his new friends.

This man is a shining example of a true friend, a model and example for us. He is very precious to me. Peter and John are in deep trouble and not headed toward anything good.  Where is this man who was healed? Did he run away? No.  Did he go back to his family? No. He’s right there with them. That’s a real friend. He could have avoided any added difficulty in his life, but instead chose to stand close and stand firm with Peter and John.

By way of repetition, remember that a real friend hangs in there when times are tough.  I’ve learned that deep trials often reveal the depth of the friendships surrounding you. One the one hand, you’ll find some standing right there with you through it all. Unfortunately on the other hand, you’ll watch people bail on you, walk away, and some may even use your difficulty to enrich themselves and make life harder for you.  Not everyone is a true friend, but you can chose to be one, today. We as the Body of Christ need to stand up with each other, stand strong for each other, and help bear one another’s burdens. Be a true friend.