You Have a Friend in Me

"So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." (1 Thess. 2:8)

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

Paul had Timothy & Luke. David had Nathan. Jesus had his disciples, not to mention the inner 3 with Peter, James, and John. Close friendships are on display all throughout the Bible and we see that great men had great friendships. The quality of our friendships gives us a glimpse into the quality of ourselves.

What a gift we have in close, deep, and loyal friendships. What a gift it is that God doesn't just save us into a personal relationship with him, but also a relationship with people who we can watch a ball game with, talk to about anything and everything, and fight through life with. What a joy it is to have good friends and good community. Oswald Sanders says in his popular book Spiritual Leadership that "Nothing takes the place of affection, not intellect or even biblical knowledge." As Christians, we have the affection of God on us in Jesus Christ and we also have the affection of deep friendships all around us. Thank God for you friends today and listen to John Piper's counsel on how to best serve your friends:

"The greatest ministry you can have to me is for you to enjoy Christ. And so I think when we turn that around and say, “Now how can I be the greatest blessing to the people around me?” The answer is: Get up in the morning. Go to the Word of God and, like George Mueller said, “Get your heart happy in God before you meet other people.”