FRIEND 

A friend loves at all times….  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

Pr 17:17; John 15:13-14 NKJV

What is friend?  In this world today, so many need and want friends?  But what is a friend?  Better yet, what is a “true friend?”

Having moved around a lot, in my younger years, I had a hard time establishing and keeping friends.  Every school year seemed to find me at another facility, with different people, and the challenges of fitting in with a new group.  Finally, at the age of 13, I began to attend a summer program with Child Evangelism Fellowship.  This was a most helpful and productive part in my life as there appeared to be some stability, finally, in my life with friends.  For seven summers I worked with many of the same people, and what even made this a blessed experience was that this was with other believers in Christ.

My second summer; however, there was a young man (my age) who I though was a “big bully.”  I did not want anything to do with him.  I had already experienced a life filled with bullies, and the troubles associated with that sort of group.  This individual’s name was Arthur, Art for short.

Art was a farm boy who grew up milking cows (almost the old fashioned way, literally), bailing hay, and removing stones (boulders) from pastures and hay fields.  Art was a strong young man, and he knew this, and he wasn’t afraid to let others know his were “real muscles from real work” and not from toys called weights and bench presses.  I, on the other hand was the skinny weakling, who could easily find myself in the next county after a strong wind.  Arthur and I were completely opposite of each other, and neither one of us liked each other.  That summer, my life was going to go into the spin cycle, and everything was about to change forever.

In short, I had the responsibility of working side by side with Art all summer long.  Even though the summer had just begun, and as much as I loved this program, I was ready for the summer to end.  I had to literally spend my 24 hour day with Art week after week, from waking in the morning, to shutting down for the night.

At first, life was not the most pleasant for me (or for Arthur), but by midsummer, Art & I realized that underneath our muscles (or lack of them, as in my case), we weren’t really all that much different from each other. From that moment on, Arthur and I began to build a great friendship relationship.  So much so, that eventually I have had to opportunity to do some work on his farm, bailing hay, and milking cows.  And, for a city boy, I was wore out and exhausted by sunset, and sunrise came oh so early the next day.  But it was good!  Good, mostly because I spent time with my friend.

Not all friendships start out this way, some start right off the bat, while others gradually grow, and some never seem to develop well.  But no matter how a friend is made, friends are needed and wanted in life.

Christ wants us to be His friend.  "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:4).  Interestingly enough, His commands aren’t harsh and mean, but are given with love and truth (Matthew 22:36-40).

Christ gave His life, even while we were yet sinners, as enemies towards Him (Rom 5:8).  And He did so as a friend and as our Savior.

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13)

How do we share our friendship with Christ in return?  Do we only attend church on Sunday’s?  Do we pray only when we eat a meal or need to pass a test… or have some other need?  Or do we pray only when there is a special occasion, such as Christmas, Birthday, or even a funeral? Do we open the Scriptures just enough to keep cobwebs and dust from overgrowing the binding?  Is your intimate relationship deeper than that? 

For my friendship to grow string with Arthur, I literally had to spend days and nights, on end, for weeks and weeks before it grew into wonderful and fruitful relationship.  Our relationship with our Heavenly Father, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit within us takes work as well.  We must daily be in the Word, constantly in an attitude of prayer, and always open to share the good (and not just bad) with our Lord, and able to bring praises and rejoice with Him as well!

When this life on earth has ended,
and our days will be no more,
our journey’s will not cease,
but we’ll travel in galore!

The Lord, Who is our Savor,
Will meet us in the air,
And so our relationship,
Will blossom on from there!

Our relationship with Christ starts here and now, but when we meet Him face to face, it will blossom from what we have begun on this earth.  Will we be ashamed to see our friend?  Or, will we be excited and thrilled to embrace in all His righteousness?

My friend… may we grow strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10), may we journey in this life with an intimate friendship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

What a friend we have in Jesus,