FRIENDS INDEED

"I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything my father has told me". (Jhn. 15:15, CEV).

Think of a world without friends and it would be a world of boredom, cruelty and frustration. Such a world would lack intimacy, laughter and other forms of comfort and help we can only receive in true friendship. Without friendship there will be no true bond between spouses, colleagues, neighbours or brothers and sisters in Christ.

Friendship requires sincerity, loyalty and availability. If Jesus said we are his friends, he expects from us what true friendship requires. He wants us to be sincere with him in our successes, struggles and failures. We have to be loyal to him by committing ourselves to his words. We must also make ourselves available for companionship with Him by spending quality time with Him in prayer and in his word. He usually speaks to us easily through these means.

If we fail to commit ourselves to Him, can we still claim to be his friends? If all you do is to spend twenty minutes or less in your prayer and meditation daily, do you think that is intimate enough? No earthly or natural relationship can even grow that way.

Nothing will take the place of our personal intimacy and friendship with the Lord, not even a regular attendance of church programmes will. If we really want to come to the level where Jesus can speak to us as friends, we must be committed enough to make ourselves regularly available for personal involvement with Him. It may change our lifestyle, but the change will be worth it.