You are My friends if you do what I command you…. but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15 (NASB)
…and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. James 2:23 (NASB)
Friends. Friendship is defined as a state of mutual trust and support between persons attached to one another by bonds of mutual affection and esteem. Godly friendships are well defined in Scripture. Who wouldn’t want to be called a “friend of God?” We all have relationships that we call friends; but many of those are merely acquaintances or pals. Real friends are treasures.
I came to know the Lord at an advanced age – 58. It was only after that I realized what I had been missing. You see, I now have friends in Christ that are friendships that I never knew existed. When my wife was very ill, friends in my prayer group, in my church, in groups from quite literally around the world were praying for us. My friends in Christ surrounded me when she died and held me up afterwards.
After I moved to Nashville in the midst of the pandemic, I was worried about not being around my friends. But in just a few months I have made a whole new band of close, trusted friends. And these are friends that I can call on for support, for prayer, for accountability, and maybe the best – just to talk. Solomon wrote in Proverbs, “A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17 (NASB) I even have friends who have introduced me to more friends. And my life is forever blessed because of that; God has placed me in a new season of life with joy and relationship that I could have never imagined. So why do we have friends? I think it’s because if we love Him, we are friends of God, too
As amazing at it may be that we can have friends like this, it’s even more powerful that we can be one of these friends. Since I went through my season of grief and pain that was so helped by friends, now I want to share that gift with others who are hurting. Indeed, real friends are treasures. Be a treasure.
