In a broken and hurting world, it's hard to find a friend who's true and willing to sacrifice himself for you. We find it easy to make new acquaintances, meet new people, and establish new connections, but the same doesn't go true for finding someone who will go through good times and bad times with you. Can you relate?
A real friend
A real friend is hard to find, they say. We've all had friends who disappeared in the blink of an eye, friends we thought were true but weren't, and friends who only befriended us because they needed us in some way. And with each friendship proven false, we all got hurt.
Because of these sad experiences, many of us would rather stay alone. Many would rather keep to themselves. Many don't want to trust anymore. Many lose their hope in humanity. After all the betrayals, the abandonments, the exposed lies and uncovered truths, many of us end up a lot more friendless and even more sad.
Some even end up more broken than when they started making friends.
Still, even if the whole world and all its population fade, we have a friend who will never forsake us, abandon us to the dogs, and leave us in the dumps. His name is Jesus Christ.
A Real, Genuine, Authentic Friend
I know that some might consider this cliché but no it's not. Jesus Christ wants to be our Friend. He wants us to treat Him as such – a Friend we can depend on, count on, cry on, and call on. Think about it: the God of the universe wants to be your friend. A friend who will never leave you nor forsake you (see Hebrews 13:5).
Unlike high-maintenance human friendships, our friendship with God only starts through faith and continues through faith-born actions. We believe Him, obey Him, and experience His incomparable friendship. What a wonderful Friend!
God's friendship with us
To encourage you to trust in God and treat Him as a close Friend, here are some Bible verses that will tell you just how good it is to be His friend as well.
Christ's unique, selfless kind of friendship towards us - John 15:12-13
"This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends."
A friendship that has purpose and direction: God's will made known to His friends – John 15:14-15
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I have heard from My Father have I made known to you."
A friendship that God Himself worked hard for – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
"All this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them, and has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation."
