There are, of course, different degrees of friendship. Dan Bennett said, "Nothing in the world is friendlier than a wet dog." Having been the 'caregiver' for a couple of dogs, I can vouch for the truth of that statement. A dog seems more than ready to have you share in its condition of 'wetness.' But to my mind, that is not necessarily the best type of friendship in which to share.

Someone else said that friendship is when you are willing to give up something of yourself to or for your friend. Again, that may not always work out just as we think it should. I read of a couple of boys who were eyeing the last piece of pie. One said to the other, "You know a friend always wants his best friend to have the good stuff." Reaching for the pie he said, "Guess what, today I'm going to be your best friend!" When we have to share whether we want to or not, I'm not sure that's really an example of friendship.

Did you hear about the two friends who were out walking in the woods? They stumbled upon a mama bear and her two cubs. She reared up and gave a loud bellow of warning and rage at the two friends. One of the guys dropped down and began to pray, the other dropped down and tightened his shoelaces. The guy who was praying said, "What are you doing, you can't hope to outrun that bear." To which the second guy replied, "I don't have to out run the bear, I only have to out run you!" Of course the question is, "I thought you were my friend?"

True friendship requires something of us if we want to remain friends.

That's not a new problem is it? Remember Judas who betrayed Jesus with a kiss. It's interesting what Jesus said to him when he did that in  Matthew 26:49-50. Notice the verses, "And straight away he came to Jesus and said, 'Master!' and gave him a kiss. And Jesus said to him, 'Friend, do that for which you have come.' Then they came and put hands on Jesus, and took him." Notice that Jesus called him "friend," but the friendship was one-sided wasn't it?  Proverbs 18:24 tells us, "A man who has friends must himself act like a friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Another translation of this verse reads, "There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but there is a real friend who sticks closer than a brother."

I guess the point I am trying to make is that true friendship requires something of us if we want to remain friends. True friendship can result in great comfort and support; however, it is a give and take situation. Sometimes we are on the receiving end, while other times we are on the giving end of the relationship. However, there is one friend who is always the giver, always the exhorter, and always the caregiver. That friend, of course, is Jesus Christ — our Lord and best friend.

The old hymn says, "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! ... O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." Will we allow Jesus to be our friend? Will we be a friend to him and share in the comfort and support which he alone can give us?

May our God grant us the understanding of the friendship he offers to us.

 

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© 2003 Russ Lawson, Messages from the Heart. All rights reserved.

Title: "Friendship"
Author: Russ Lawson
Publication Date: November 20, 2003

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Russ Lawson is a former missionary to Africa and minister in Ohio. He now works with World Christian Literature Outreach and writes a weekly email devotional, Messages from the Heart. For more information about Russ, click here.

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