According to a study completed by a team of sociologists (as reported in the July 3, 2006, edition of "Time"), people in America are losing friends. From 1985 to 2004, the number of people with whom we can discuss "important matters" has dropped by one-third. That is, if people had three close friends twenty years ago, they only have two today. When considered that this is based on averages, this is a serious drop and it points to a continuing disintegration of the bonds of society. In order to "enjoy" our newfound freedoms, we are splitting up our families and communities. In order to "enjoy" our entertainment, we are immersing ourselves in private video viewing and computer surfing. We are leaving the churches and becoming strangers to our neighbors.
Proverbs 18:24 teaches: "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly." We are to bear "one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). Only when we make others important will we become important to some of the others. We are a selfish society that has turned its back on God and we are now in the process of turning our backs on each other. We need to return to the Bible and learn anew how to love one another as Christ loved us (John 13:34-35).
