Friendship requires patience. It teaches you that deep relationships in life take extra effort. Friendship also teaches how to become humbler since it takes some time to know the character and behavior of a person. You want a friendship that grows and flourishes. It is more than just sharing the same interest; it is also about building more love and loyalty. Friendship becomes sweeter and more beautiful if we base it on the Bible. Always remember that the Word of God is grounded in truth. People should be able to find the deeper and more real meaning of friendship if they read the Bible.
Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Friendship is one of those good gifts that come from the Father of Lights (James 1:17). And every good and perfect gift from above brings priceless joy to our hearts. A friend gives us more confidence, encouragement, and love. And true friends walk beside us in hopeless mornings and stormy nights. Indeed, friendship is a great blessing to the world.
However, there are also instances when our closest friends turn their backs and don’t want to offer help in times of trouble. It can be very depressing to know that your best friend faded farther away as you went through life’s stormy gale. Apart from rejection and betrayal, time and distance can also break friendships. And of course, how heartbreaking it is to lose your dear friend through death.
As a result, some people become cynical about friendship. It is no longer sweet and desirable. Our view regarding friendship becomes distasteful. We get traumatized and, eventually, isolated. The world becomes cruel, and we feel alone. There is no one left we can talk to. The people you trust most leave a scar on your heart, and it feels heavy. You shed tears day and night. And the saddest part is that we feel like there’s no friend out there who can make us feel better. But let me tell you, it’s a lie to say that there is none.
The Perfect Friend
For us to truly delight in the word “friendship,” we need to find the perfect friend first. And you can’t find a friend in the whole cosmos that is as perfect as Jesus Christ. Jesus came to restore all things, and this includes broken relationships. For us to understand what real friendship is, let us first examine what Jesus did for us. Remind yourself how God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus was even mocked for being a friend of sinners (Luke 7:34). He rescued you from sin and His sacrifice on the cross saved us from eternal damnation.
The Love of Jesus
Remember the old hymn that says,
Jesus! What a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
(Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners hymn)
The love of Jesus is unconditional. It is not based on who we are or what we have done in the past. The friendship that we have with Jesus is not temporary. He is ever faithful in keeping his promises; He never fails. Jesus is the only friend who won’t turn His back on us. The world may reject you, but Jesus loves His people. In fact, according to Ephesians 1:4-5, He loves us all the way back to eternity past! Before time even began, Jesus was already thinking about the sweetness of our friendship! As well as dying for us, Jesus also intercedes for those of us who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25).
A Friendship with Jesus Shapes Every Friendship
Every other friendship that a believer makes or maintains is grounded in their friendship with Jesus. Once we get adopted by the Father through Jesus Christ, we are then united with every other Christian. Fellow Christians become our brothers and sisters in Christ. They become our siblings. The truth is, we are so tightly woven with other Christians that when one part of the body hurts, we all get hurt (1 Corinthians 12:26). Bear in mind that we can love one another only because Jesus first loved us. Biblical friendship is the real definition of friendship. The love of Jesus flows into us and such love flows to others. We then learn how to forgive, love, and even sacrifice our lives to our dear human friends.
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