Quantity or Quality?

A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24 

I like to ponder and think.  One of my favorites things to consider happens to be the words we use and how their meanings have changed with the passing of time.  Take the word "love." It was once a word of intimacy and trust. For example, if one loved one's friend then that friend was completely trusted without question and you knew that friend would NEVER turn their back on you or turn against you.  Now, it is used to describe pretty much any type enjoyment.  

"Friend" is another word which has changed with the years.  There was a time when the term Friend had meaning.  If someone called you "Friend" that was a title you cherished and strove to keep true.  If you remember in Scripture, David and Jonathan had that kind of friendship.  Now, however, the term "friend" has come to mean "I don't know you very well, but I recognize your face or name so we're good."  And we have become so adept at gathering large numbers of "friends" around us so we feel popular.  Even Facebook has become just another place where we garner large numbers of "friends" many of whom we have never met, yet that is one of the markers of popularity.

Let me ask you...would you rather have a large number of "friends" or a few true Friends?  You see, Jesus, even though large groups gathered around Him wherever He went, had only a few true friends.  Remember, Lazarus was the only Friend,Scripture tells us, Jesus wept over.  So consider, what category do you fit into, "friend" or Friend?