A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly. – Proverbs 18:24
D. L. Moody, a nineteenth-century evangelist, often told the story about a gentleman who gave every new boy who came to town a new one-cent piece. Clearly, Moody had been impressed when a new penny was left in the palm of his hand. Likewise, I will never forget the moment when a man reached out to shake the hands of my friend and me, and left each of us holding a shiny quarter. It was a small gesture with a big impact. I was so impressed that, over the years, I also gave away many quarters when shaking hands. Once, the person came back and shook my hand three more times, because he said he needed a dollar! I went ahead and obliged. Another time, I was especially pleased when two young people told me they still had their quarters after many years.
When we consider our role as Christians in the world, we can look to the model Jesus gave us. It was said of Him that He was a friend of publicans and sinners; that is the example He left us. While we may not all be social butterflies, we do all have an obligation to follow the Lord. And even though we do not approve of the sin in the lives of our worldly associates, we can still show ourselves friendly.
There are many ways to show ourselves friendly, yet none of them are very expensive. It could be as simple as obtaining a roll of quarters and shaking a few hands. That would have instant results! Or, just giving someone a kind greeting or a smile. It has been said that a smile is a curve that sets everything straight. These gestures do not take much time or personal sacrifice, but they show others that we care about them, and that Jesus has put a love for them in our hearts. Simple acts of kindness can leave lasting impressions.
We can follow the Lord’s example by making a point to show love for all men. It would not be the worst thing if people started saying about us what they said about Jesus: He “went about doing good.”
Father in Heaven, Thank You for the example You have given me in Jesus, and thank You for befriending me. May I also go about doing good and showing myself friendly. Amen.