December 4, 2018
A rule I have had for years is to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. His is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have.—Dwight L. Moody
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“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.”1
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It is also one of my most cherished things about Jesus. Jesus is my Friend!
I have many different relationships with people. But Jesus is my Friend.
Through all my life, on all my journeys, Jesus has never failed. Jesus is my Friend.
Oh, I love You, Jesus! You are glorious and Your love, presence, and friendship fill my heart with love and adoration. Teach me, Jesus, how to be Your friend.
In this life one can have but few real friends. There are many potential friends in and around my life but there simply isn’t enough time to be a real friend with many. To be a true friend requires time together. It also requires openness and honesty. Mixed with this is a desire to know and share life’s adventures, pains, and journey, no matter the cost…
The difference with Jesus is that He does not have to limit Himself to a few but can be a friend to all who desire His friendship and fellowship and follow Him. This is glorious! Unlimited millions and billions can have Jesus as their Friend. Jesus will never change. You can count on Him.
A thrilling thing about Jesus was that He called Himself a “friend of sinners.” Here the Holy Jesus is portraying Himself as a sinner’s friend. There is hope for you and me! …
Jesus will be your friend! Now and forever!—Arthur Blessitt2
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Someone has defined friendship as “knowing the heart of another and sharing one’s heart with another.” We share our hearts with those we trust, and trust those who care about us. We confide in our friends because we have confidence that they will use the information to help us, not harm us. They in turn confide in us for the same reason.
We often refer to Jesus as our friend because we know that He wants what is best for us. We confide in Him because we trust Him. But have you ever considered that Jesus confides in His people?
Jesus began calling His disciples friends rather than servants because He had entrusted them with everything He had heard from His Father.3 Jesus trusted the disciples to use the information for the good of His Father’s kingdom.
Although we know that Jesus is our friend, can we say that we are His friends? Do we listen to Him? Or do we only want Him to listen to us? Do we want to know what’s on His heart? Or do we only want to tell Him what’s on ours? To be a friend of Jesus, we need to listen to what He wants us to know and then use the information to bring others into friendship with Him.4—From “Our Daily Bread”
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Having a best friend is important to many of us. We all have relatives, neighbors, business partners, and other friendly people who we work with or associate with sometimes. We have people who we talk with now and then in a casual setting. But with a best friend, the bond goes much deeper. In many cases someone’s best friend is also his or her marriage partner.
A best friend is someone you trust. Usually, this person has been a part of your life for some time and understands how you think, react, and feel. They often know your history and life experience, and are aware of your victories, challenges, heartbreaks, and deepest concerns. They’re someone you confide in, someone who is there when you need prayer, help, or a listening ear. You know they’ll stand by you unselfishly and cheer you on.
Your bond with a best friend means you want others to get to know them, too. You want to include your best friend in whatever you’re doing, and you like to feel a part of whatever they’re doing, too. In short, your life and your best friend’s life are intertwined, and you understand and accept each other in a deep and personal way that you don’t experience with many others.
Jack Zavada, a Christian website host,5 talks about the kind of personal friend that Jesus is:
Jesus experienced firsthand the loneliness of being human, and he saw that as much as we need a savior, we also need a friend.
What better friend could you have? Jesus is steadfastly loyal. He forgives your every fault. He supports and encourages you when you need it most, and he listens whenever you want to talk. He is a tireless listener. Jesus loves you as a friend who wants to see you grow to your full potential. There is no jealousy in him. He wants only the best for you.
What good reasons for us, as Christians, to celebrate the birth of our dearest and utterly perfect friend, Jesus. Such a friend is worth sharing with others and emulating, and doing all we can to deepen our friendship with Him in every way. I want to involve Jesus in every part of my life. I’m willing to do anything He wants to do if He and I can do it together, because it’s more about our deep friendship than about what we’re doing. If He’s willing to be my friend through everything, then I certainly want to be His friend in return.
His assurance is that even when I screw up and am faithless, He will remain faithful.6 A friendship like that is worth paying any price for, but He gives it to us as a gift. The least we can do is share that gift with others.
Let’s make Christmas not only the celebration of the birth of our Savior, but also the celebration of our best friend! Let’s give Him what He desires most: the opportunity to be that same wonderful Savior and perfect friend to others.—Maria Fontaine
Published on Anchor December 2018. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music taken from the Rhythm of Christmas album. Used by permission.
1 John 15:15 NIV.
2 http://www.blessitt.com/jesus-my-friend. Arthur Blessitt has carried the cross around the world in every nation and is listed in the Guinness World Records for the world's longest walk, over 42,279 miles (68,041 km) in 324 countries, island groups, and territories for 50 years.
3 John 15:15.
6 2 Timothy 2:13.
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