University Researchers confirm Bible truth: Friendship is good for you.

Researchers at Brigham Young University studied 300,000 people from four continents over seven years, and found that those with the strongest social networks lived longer than those who were lonely. This is no surprise to Christians for the Bible tells us: “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” whereas “An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends....“ And “God has showed you, O man, what is good … do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with … God”

The research suggests that lack of friends cuts survival odds far more than being obese or not exercising. Professor Sally Macintyre, director of the Medical Research Council's Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, proposes that “policy-makers and health care staff should note this important finding, and … build on it to find out how we can use social relationships to reduce the risk of death."
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Do you notice the underlined words? The Professor, having discovered that friendship is good for life, urges policy - makers to use it. But friendship isn't something you can use to mprove your life. You can't do friendship in the way you can do diets or exercise. That's why it's so challenging to many, for many are focused on getting – getting ahead, getting money, getting by, & getting the latest, when friendship is about giving.

You can't get friends in order to live longer. The heart of many social problems is that we are so devoted to loving ourselves and our own families we have forgotten that love is for others. Such love will not flow from a health prescription: GP to patient, “For a long life I prescribe time off work, pills before meals and two new friends a week.” Such love only flows from God. If we really want everyone to live longer, we should encourage them to seek God, for this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.

Love brings us to the great mystery: whoever wants to save his life will lost it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus will find it. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. When we do that then we find life, abundant life, life in all its fullness, and not just a longer life before death but eternal life.