Last week I attended Hillsong Conference in Sydney Australia. Israel Houghton from Lakewood Church in the USA was once again at the conference and led us in his song, "I am a friend of God". The overwhelming truth if this song is in the lyric "He calls me friend". The Bible tells us that Jesus is not ashamed to call us His friend. I began to be so impacted by the love of Christ as I looked at my own life and asked myself what kind of a friend am I to Jesus. I mean, I love Him deeply but I know I have let Him down on so many occasions. And so I submit to you the following.
A true friend is arguably one of the most valued treasures anyone could ever have.
So what are the attributes of a true friendship? Honesty, faithfulness, self sacrificial love, care and commitment; the list goes on.
True friendships are very hard to find and are valued by many as one of life's highest priorities. Perhaps the only thing that is more precious to seek in life than a true frined is the persuit of being a true friend to others.
In John 15:15 Jesus declared his disciples to be His friends yet he knew they would be the very same men who would later desert Him in His greatest need and betray Him in His darkest hour. Even John, the disciple whom the scriptures say Jesus loved deserted Christ when he was arrested. Of course many would be familiar with the events that later followed when Peter denied Jesus three times in one evening. Is this the dispaly of "true friendship"?
Like Jesus, most of us have been betrayed and let down by those we thought were true friends.
One can only imagine the intense fear and intimidation the disciples must have felt. Especially Peter as he faced what he thought would be certain death because of his association with Jesus. Often when people behave out of character it is because of much deeper underlying issues than simply a change of heart.
Like many others there have been times when I have been let down by those I have considered true friends. Sadly, when it comes to being a friend, there have been occasions when I have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. The only thing I have found more painful to my own life than being failed by a friend is when I have failed those whom I call a friend.
The sinful nature of the human condition can only but fail us.
Jesus however is the personification of "true friendship". Proverbs tells us that there is "a friend who sticks closer than a brother".
2 Timothy 2:13 says that "even when we are faithless, He remains faithful".
The Bible says that Jesus endured the cross because of the "JOY" set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). He suffered not only the physical pain of the cross but the emotional heartache of broken relationships on our behalf. I believe the joy that was set before Christ was our redemption, that is our salvation, the opportunity to become "a friend of God". And so Jesus died not to merely wipe out our sin but to bring us into rlationship / friendship with Him. The incredible reality of this is found in Romans 5:6-8 "for scarcley for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us that while we still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus continues to take our place so we can through His grace and mercy remain His friend ... even when we fail Him he continues to "call us friend".
If you are in need of a true friend than Jesus is the only one who will never fail you.
And to those we love and call friend, perhaps the mark of friendship we should look for is not whether or not people will let us down, because they most certainly will, but when they do will will we continue to stand by them in the grace of God and be a true friend?
