“…but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Proverbs 18:24 NIV
In my sixty plus years I have seen friends come and go. Why do some
friends remain while other friends exit our life? I believe we loose friendships for many
different reasons. In elementary school we make a wonderful friend and the next
year that friend is in another classroom at the other end of the corridor. When
we leave home to attend college we leave old friends behind and meet new friends. We live in a mobile society. We study abroad,
we travel all over the world, or we get a new job that demands that we move. We
change churches, move to a new neighborhood, join different clubs, and we take
up new interest. All of these conditions and many others set us up to make new
friends and loose others. Keeping up
with old friends can sometime be a full time job. Thanks to the internet
and social media it is becoming much easier to stay in touch with our friends
both old and new.
Often some of our very best friends are found in our own family. More
times than not our best friend is our spouse. There is a saying that states, blood
is thicker than water! That is why our children, a parent, a sibling, a
sister-in-law, or a cousin can be one of the best friends we will ever have.
When a family friendship is severed it is one of the greatest losses we will
ever experience.
Sometimes we simply grow out of a friendship. We find that our
childhood playmate, our high school best bud, and often our college roommate
are no longer interested in the same things that we once shared. As adults
sometimes we find that our friend is no longer “like minded” and the friendship
that was once strong is now fragile and stressful. As a result the friendship
reaches a weak point where it simply breaks. This too is sad. It would be wrong
of me to think that a friendship must be based on two people always agreeing.
But it has been my experience that when two people can no longer “agree to
disagree” that friendship is over.
A wonderful friendship is based on a warm and caring relationship.
True friends are trustworthy and hold your secrets in the strictest of
confidence. A true friend can be counted on in good times and in bad times.
These friends are without a doubt, the beautiful “forget-me-nots” in our
heart’s garden. Friendships should be fun! Good friends laugh and cry together. I
love to find a friend who loves many of the same things that I do because now
we can enjoy sharing those things together. I also enjoy having friends who
share my same set of values. I treasure a friend who prays with me and for me. My Christian friendships take friendship to a new
level. Those friends are irreplaceable!
Unfortunately, some friendships end because of a misunderstanding,
selfishness, betrayal, or any number of other situations that divide and separate. Friends
come into and exit our life as though they were stepping in and out of a
revolving door. But God’s Word tells us that Jesus Christ is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Maybe
it has to do with that “blood” thing. Relatives share the same
bloodline. However, the blood of Jesus is not restricted to our veins. The blood of Jesus covers us from head to toe. Our friend
Jesus gave his life for us so that we can live with him and enjoy him forever. “Greater love has no one than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command….I
have called you friends…” John 15:13-14,15a NIV Jesus is indeed a friend
that sticks closer than any brother or sister ever could. When Jesus Christ is
our Lord and Savior, his Spirit lives within us! What a blessing it is to have
Jesus for our best friend.
Some people are content having only one friend. Others want as many
friends as they can get. But if you must have only one friend, make sure it
is Jesus. True lasting friendships are hard to come by. In a whole lifetime you
may only have a few that you will always treasure. You will probably be able to
count those friends on one hand. But these are the special people that God has
placed in your life to love and encourage you through thick and thin. We may
rarely see our very best friends, but when we do we are always able to pick up
right where we left off. A true friend is a blessing. Treasure that friend and
make sure that you are that kind of friend to at least one person.
I don’t ever want to forget that I will never have a friend who is a
dear to me as Jesus! Because of this I must remember to tell him many times
a day how much I love him. I must always set aside time to be alone with him
without interruption. I must make sure that he knows that I cherish him. I must
make every effort to please him by doing the things that I know make him happy.
I do this because that is what good friends do! A good friendship is give and
take. He calls me friend, and I don’t want to be a friend that only takes. I
take his free gift of salvation, and I take all that he provides. I enjoy his
love, his compassion, and his mercy. I enjoy the fact that my friend always
keeps his promises. He is a faithful friend in every way. Therefore, I must
give back. I give back my love to the One who first loved me. I must show my
love to the One who laid down his life for me. I love being in a sweet relationship
with the best friend I will every have, my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Questions:
- Who is your closest friend?
- How many “for life” friends do you have?
- What quality do you value most in a friendship?
- Do you consider yourself to be a good friend?
- Are you rejoicing in the friendship that you share with Jesus? If no, why not?
- How can you remedy that problem and cement your friendship with Jesus?
Dear Jesus,
You are my very best friend indeed! I am
blessed that you call me your friend. I am reminded that Abraham was also
called a friend of God and that same friendship reaches over the span of
thousands of years, to the very place where I am sitting today. Jesus, how can it
be that I, a simple woman, can enjoy a friendship with you, the creator of the
universe? Jesus, you were rich, yet you became poor so that you and I could
become friends. You gave your life for me. I know of no greater love than this.
Jesus you go before me to show me the way, you walk behind me to encourage me,
you are above me watching over me, you live inside me and you fill me with your
peace, you also walk along beside me because you love me. Thank you for being
such an amazing friend. Friendship with you Jesus is a blessed sweet communion. You
are always faithful and I am blessed. Lord, when other friendships fail, I pray that I will always know that you are more than enough!
It is in the name of my dearest friend, Jesus Christ, I
pray. Amen
