A Cool Definition of Friendship

I'm writing on the theme of friendship for some devotional material, and I remember a special verse in Romans 1:11-12 where Paul writes something precious to his friends.

He writes, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong--that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."

Wouldn't it be wonderful and life-changing to have friends that want to impart a spiritual gift to make you strong? Wouldn't it be wonderful and life-changing to have friends that, when together, felt mutually encouraged?

Longing to encourage. Longing to impart. Longing to experience this mutually. That sounds like a cool definition of friendship. If this kind of encouragement isn't happening, maybe it's time to work towards these kinds of friendships.

I ask myself if I leave my friends having given a spiritual gift to make them strong. This might come in various forms of spiritual truth speaking. It's convicting to think that I leave them with other things instead: my problems, my complaints, my gossip, or my negativity.

Living with flair means we impart spiritual gifts wherever we go. We redefine friendship as those who do this for one another.