A friend is always a friend… – Proverbs 17:17a CEV
Confucius wrote, “There are three kinds of friendships which are advantageous, and three which are injurious. Friendship with the upright, friendship with the sincere, and friendship with the man of much information – these are advantageous. Friendship with a man of spacious airs, friendship with the insinuating soft, friendship with the glib tongued – these are injurious.”
Thursday night I had a Bible Study class that was to include three Christian sisters, bonded together by their friendship with Christ Jesus for years on top of years. They have one of those friendships that would qualify as Confucius’ advantageous kind. They have supported each other with prayers. They share in trusted confidence about what they are going through. And when either of them have a need to bolster their faith, the other two are right there with them. On many a Sunday, after the benediction, they would dine together and all their conversations were based around their friendship with a man of much information. Let me clarify “man;” man refers to Jesus the Christ. As I was thinking about these three Christian Amigos and their friendship, four things came to mind.
First of all, we are social beings. We need friends. We were not intended to isolate ourselves. God even told Adam that it was not good for him to be alone. Second, as opposed to just any friends, we need Christian friends, people who we can confide in, persons we can cry around, picked out trustworthy folks who we can confess our mistakes to, and find wise counsel that is rooted in the word of God. Yes, we need friendships with righteous who are sincere about being a child of God, and who have acquired much information from the Scriptures. Such friendships are indeed advantageous.
The fourth thing that came to my mind was when we need the ultimate friend we can and should turn to Jesus. It is true what we say, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Enjoy your worship experience tomorrow and as you do, thank God for the One He sent us and who bears all our guilt and shame. My youngest son’s favorite song at one time included these words of truth, “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one, no not one”. He got that right! Be blessed!
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. – John 15: 1—17 NIV