WHAT IS A FRIEND?
What comes to your mind when you think of a friend? I
mean a special, best friend. A friend is someone you are
not afraid
to share your heart with, someone you have a committed and
loyal relationship with, someone who really knows the intimate
things of your heart. These are some definitions of what
a friend really is. The Bible says, “There is a friend
that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24b. “A
friend loveth at all times. Proverbs 17:17a. “A friend
sharpenth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs
27:17. This is what we may expect from a close friendship.
There are many examples of friends in the Bible.
DAVID AND JONATHAN
1 Sam 20:17 reads, “Jonathan caused David to swear
again because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved
his own soul.” David and Jonathan were friends. They
knew each other intimately. They cared for each other. They
spent lots of time together.
RUTH AND NAOMI
“And Ruth said, ‘Intreat me not to leave thee
or to return from following after thee for whither thou goest
I will go and whither thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy people
shall be my people and thy God my God.’” Ruth
1:16. There was a friendship there that was inseparable.
Ruth was determined to follow Naomi no matter where she went
or where she lived.
JESUS CHRIST
“Greater love has no man than this that a man lay
down his life for his friend.” John 15:13. Jesus did
exactly that for us. He laid down His life for us. He loved
us when we were in the ditches of sin and despair. He made
the first step to pursue us and become our friend. If it
were not for Him dying in our stead there would be no way
that we could ever become the friend of God.
JESUS EXTENDS HIS LOVE
Jesus is extending an invitation of friendship and close
relationship to each one of us. John 15:15 reads, “Henceforth
I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what
His lord doeth. But I have called you friends.” He
is not even looking at it as a relationship of servant and
master, but of friends. The thought that we can be friends
and have an intimate relationship with the God of Heaven
is incredible!
All other religions have a fear of the god they serve. This
is not a friendship. There is no intimacy at all. They must
do certain things or obey certain rules so that the wrath
of their god does not come upon them. We can have so much
more. We can have a relationship. The following story illustrates
the concept of being willing to die for a friend as Jesus
did for us:
There was a boy whose sister had kidney failure and needed
blood after a transplant. Since his blood type was the same
as hers the doctors asked him if he would be willing to give
his blood for her. While they were taking the blood from
him he began looking faint. The doctor asked him if he was
OK.
He said, “Yes, I feel fine. I am just wondering
when I am going to die.”
He was under the impression that if the doctor took his
blood he would actually die so that his sister could live.
This is the way Jesus gave His blood for us. He actually
died so that we could live! Before He ascended to heaven,
Jesus said that he is going to go to prepare a place for
us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Not
only did Jesus die in our stead so that we can enjoy the
pleasures of being a Christian here on earth, He also is
preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him.
Jesus wants to be your friend through difficult times
in life. “Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ?
Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or
nakedness or peril or sword?” Romans 8:35. None of
these can separate us from the love of Christ. Jesus will
be there to go with us through whatever comes. No matter
what may come our way. No matter the difficult situation
you may find yourself in now or in the future. Remember that
Jesus has walked the road before and will walk it with you.
When it feels like God is far away and we cannot see two
sets of footprints in the sand, it is His footprints that
we see. He is carrying us. He is such a faithful friend that
He would not only take us by the hand and lead, but he would
pick us up and carry us through those difficult times. Jesus
is a faithful friend! We can trust Him. He is there and He
is extending that friendship to us. Will we accept it? “I
will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5b. “Even
in your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry
you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and
will deliver you.” Is: 46:4.
INVITATION TO FRIENDSHIP
What is our response to Jesus’ invitation to friendship?
We can respond like people in other religions do. They
believe they must do certain things because it is required
of them.
We can respond like this or we may respond with a sincere
desire from a heart of love.
ACCEPT HIS
FRIENDSHIP
Before we can be a friend to Jesus, we must be born again.
We must initially accept the gift of His blood as payment
for all our sins. If we refuse Him on that point, our sins
will keep us from that friendship. If, after we are Christians,
we love our sin or love the world, we cannot be friends with
Christ. “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4
OBEDIENCE: CHRIST’S
LOVE LANGUAGE
Jesus says, “Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever
I command you.” John 15:14. Obedience is Jesus’ love
language. He says that if you love Him, you will obey His
commandments. This must not be done with a “Do I have
to?” attitude. Christ’s love enables us to want
to! This is what is missing from other religions. They do
not have that love relationship that motivates them to do
it out of a heart of love. We want to obey Jesus in all His
commandments. If you look at the Bible this way, it can revolutionize
your Christian life. Sometimes people struggle with “dos” and “don’ts” and
look at the Bible negatively as a lot of things they cannot
do. But as we accept His friendship all those negative things
just fall to the side and we love to do what He wants us
to do.
SPEND TIME
IN HIS WORD
To have a living relationship with Jesus is to spend time
with him. Spend time in His word. Spend time in prayer, seeking
his face. God had the Bible written as a letter to us. From
cover to cover we can see His heart for us. It is one of
His ways of communicating to us. In turn, we can get to know
God and Jesus intimately by spending time in His word and
prayer. As we go through the remainder of our lives, let’s
be friends with God. Let’s have that loving relationship
that is alive. Let’s take the time to spend in God’s
word and keep our Christian lives a relationship, not a religion.
