They are just friends. That is a statement with multiple meanings in our society today. It can be taken as a good thing. They are friends and share a few connections. Or it can mean they are just people who know each other. But it can mean more. Especially if you use the word friends in the way the dictionary understands it. So, here it is; “the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis.” Now, let’s get to it.
Our bible is not filled with definitions. On the contrary, it is filled with definitions through the stories of the people who live within its pages. So we have the unmistakable friendship between David and Jonathan. That my friend is the basis of all understanding on this topic. John Piper says that it is the gauge by which we view all our relationships. We look at them, look at ourselves and . . . YES!
Many people call their spouse their best friend, their closest friend. That’s wonderful but I wonder, who do you call a friend? This past Sunday I realized how many people I can call friend. Maybe that is the reason for the tears. And Sunday taught me that words cannot express what is in our hearts. So thank you for what is seen by others and felt by us as individuals.
As I notice the sun rising in the clear air of this morning, I return to the person of Jesus and those men and women that surrounded him. There were not just twelve. Yes, he emptied himself into the lives of twelve, eleven after someone killed himself. There were others. People like Mary and Martha. Or how about Lazarus? Jesus wept over him.
I think Jesus gave us another definition of friends. I believed he did indeed emptied himself into the lives of those 12 men. They were not just his students, but they were his friends in a special way. He wanted them to find heaven first and to share it with the world second. Jesus made eleven disciple friends in his life. We should do no less. How many disciples have you made? How many people have you brought into the family of God? How many have you lead to Jesus so they can walk with the master?
You know, I don’t want to get to heaven and leave my friends out of all that can be ours. Its past time to share everything in your life with your friends, even your friend, Jesus.
Something to think about
Rob